Chapter 3 - The Shadow Brother
The revelation shattered the fragile reality Malcolm had spent two years constructing. Julian. His reckless, brilliant, and deeply envious younger brother who had vanished four years ago after attempting to embezzle millions from the family firm. Malcolm had covered it up to protect the family name, cutting Julian off completely and banishing him from their lives.
To think that Sarah—his loyal, loving Sarah—and Julian...
"No," Malcolm growled out loud to the empty room, throwing his glass against the fireplace. It shattered into a thousand glittering shards. "No, she wouldn't."
He refused to believe the immediate, ugly assumption. Sarah loved him. Their marriage hadn't been perfect, but it had been built on fierce devotion. There had to be a missing piece to this puzzle.
He didn't sleep. By 6:00 AM, Malcolm was in his car, tearing down the highway toward the state penitentiary. He didn't need to track Julian down across the country; he knew exactly where his brother's downward spiral had eventually landed him. Julian had been arrested six months ago in a neighboring county for identity theft and extortion.
Inside the stark, fluorescent-lit visitor's room, Malcolm waited. When the heavy metal door clicked open, Julian walked in, clad in an orange jumpsuit. He looked haggard, his handsome features ruined by years of hard living, but a smug, venomous smile spread across his face the moment he saw his older brother.
"Well, well. The great Malcolm Reed," Julian sneered, sitting down across the glass partition and picking up the phone. "Come to bail out the black sheep? Or did you just come to gloat?"
Malcolm didn't waste time. He pressed the photo of Evie against the glass. "Who is she, Julian?"
Julian's smile froze. The color drained from his face, replaced by a sudden, feral panic. "Where did you get that? Where is she?"
"She's at my house," Malcolm said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "She snuck in. Or rather, she was guided there by a ghost. I ran the DNA, Julian. She's Sarah's daughter. And she's yours. Tell me the truth before I ensure you never see the light of day again."
Julian let out a sharp, hysterical laugh that turned into a dry cough. "You think Sarah betrayed you? You always were a arrogant fool, Malcolm. You were so busy building your empire, so busy conquering the world, you didn't even notice when your wife was dying, long before the cancer even showed up."
"Watch your mouth," Malcolm snarled.
"Sarah didn't sleep with me, you idiot!" Julian hissed, leaning in close to the glass, his eyes wild. "Five years ago, before she got pregnant with Maisie, she found out she had a rare uterine condition. The doctors told her she couldn't carry a child to term without extreme risk. But she wanted your baby so badly. She secretly harvested her eggs. She wanted a surrogate."
Malcolm’s mind went blank. "A surrogate?"
"She didn't want you to know because she knew you'd forbid it out of fear for her health," Julian revealed, a cruel satisfaction in his voice. "She came to me for money to fund it secretly, because you controlled all the main accounts. I saw an opportunity. I switched the clinic samples. I replaced your specimen with mine. I wanted a piece of the Reed legacy. I wanted something you could never truly own."
Malcolm felt the room spin. The depth of the depravity was staggering.
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"The surrogate got pregnant," Julian continued, his voice dropping. "But then Sarah found out what I did. She was horrified. She broke off the arrangement, cut me off, and miraculously got pregnant with Maisie naturally right after. She thought the surrogate had terminated the pregnancy. But I tracked the woman down. I took the kid after the surrogate died last year. I was going to use Evie to extort you for millions when the time was right. But the little rat escaped me."
Julian grinned, a terrifying, desperate expression. "She's my golden ticket, Malcolm. She’s a biological Reed. Half yours by extension of blood, half mine. And if you don't get me out of here and give me twenty million dollars, I'll release the records to the press. I'll drag Sarah's memory through the mud, and I'll sue you for full custody of my daughter. Let's see how your sterling reputation handles a public custody battle over a secret love-child."
