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The silence in the room was heavier than the snow piling against the windowpane. Declan sat motionless in the chair, his green eyes fixated on me as if I were a stranger who had spoken in a language he couldn't comprehend. Outside, the Seattle storm howled, but inside, the only sound was the soft, rhythmic breathing of our six-day-old son against my chest. / Chapter 8 / 20

Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Trap

Julian scrambled toward the podium, grabbing the microphone, his hands trembling violently. "This is a fraud! Security! Escort them out! The divorce papers were finalized five months ago! You cannot produce a bastard child on New Year's Eve and claim—"

"Careful, Julian," I said, stepping up to the stage alongside Declan, taking the microphone from the stand with cool precision. "You might want to review the King County paternity records filed electronically two hours ago. Along with the certified DNA results performed by three independent labs."

I turned to face the crowd of investors and board members. "And while you are reviewing those, the Seattle Police Department and the FBI Financial Crimes Division would like you to review these."

With a nod from Declan, the massive projection screens behind the main stage flickered to life. Instead of the corporate logo, the screens began displaying line-by-line bank statements, encrypted email exchanges, and recorded wiretaps provided by Marcus's security team.

The emails showed Julian explicitly ordering Arthur Vance to create the fraudulent custody document in July to orchestrate our divorce. The wiretaps included Julian's voice ordering the breach of my house on Maple Street on Christmas Eve.

"You attempted to terrorize a mother and a newborn baby to steal a corporate empire," Declan said, taking a step toward his stepbrother. The sheer physical presence of Declan made Julian stumble backward into the podium. "You weaponized my legal team, you falsified documents, and you sent armed men into my wife's home."

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"Lock every gate, seal every exit, and cut the main grid to manual," I b...

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THE MAFIA BOSS THOUGHT HE BROKE MY HEART—UNTIL HE DISCOVERED THE TWIN HEIRS I HID IN THE SHADOWS

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"Wife?" Julian gasped, clutching the edge of the table. "She's your ex-wife!"

Declan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sleek blue document, laying it flat on the glass podium. "The divorce decree was signed under false pretenses based on fraudulent legal counsel provided by Arthur Vance. This afternoon, the Supreme Court of Washington issued a complete annulment of the divorce decree. Clara has been my wife every single day of this year."

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