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The sound of Clara’s heavy metal brace hitting the marble floor echoed like a gunshot in the silent ballroom. / Chapter 4 / 8

Chapter 4 - THE BOARDROOM SNAK PIT

Three days had passed since Leo moved into the Hale Manor.

Despite wearing tailored suits provided by the world’s best clothiers, Leo preferred to walk barefoot across the cold Italian tile floors. He didn't play with toys, he didn't watch television, and he barely ate. He spent hours staring out the window at the sky, as if reading an invisible clock.

Noah and Clara adored him. They followed him everywhere, calling him "Big Brother Leo." For the first time in years, the mansion echoed with real laughter.

But outside the mansion gates, a storm was brewing.

"The board is revolting, Marcus," Vanessa announced, throwing a thick stack of financial reports onto the mahogany conference table at Hale Global HQ.

The forty-second floor overlooked the entire metropolitan skyline. Seated around the table were twelve of the nation's most powerful oligarchs—the board of directors.

"Marcus has placed a nameless orphan with no lineage into the line of succession," Director Vance—Julian Vance's cousin and a senior shareholder—said with a sneer. "Hale Global's stock has fluctuated wildly. The public thinks our CEO has lost his mind to mystic cults!"

"Leo saved my children," Marcus said coldly, leaning forward. "That is all that matters."

"Is it?" Julian Vance’s cousin snorted. "Or is this boy a plant? We demand a mandatory DNA test and a psychological evaluation for the boy. If he fails to prove legitimate heritage or sanity, we will invoke Clause 9 and strip Marcus of his CEO position."

Marcus’s knuckles turned white. Clause 9 was a emergency takeover protocol. If the board voted unanimously, control of Hale Global would transfer to the Chief Legal Officer—Vanessa.

Marcus looked at his sister. Her face was an unreadable mask, but her eyes glittered with ambition. She had orchestrated this board meeting.

"Fine," Marcus gritted his teeth. "We do the DNA test. Tomorrow morning. In front of the board's independent medical team."

That evening, Marcus returned home exhausted. He found Leo sitting in the library, holding a three-hundred-year-old family genealogy book.

"They want your blood tomorrow, Leo," Marcus said, sitting down across from the boy. He poured himself a drink. "They want to prove you don't belong here."

Leo turned a page of the ancient book. "Blood is just water that remembers where it came from, Father."

"Why did you really come here, Leo?" Marcus asked, his voice softening with genuine curiosity and fear. "You have power that defies science. You could rule kingdoms, cure presidents, make billions. Why force your way into my broken family?"

Leo closed the book with a soft thud. He looked Marcus dead in the eyes.

"Because fifteen years ago, your father stole something that belonged to my mother. And you built this entire empire on top of her grave."

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Deep inside my banking app, the little green toggle next to the automatic transfer had vanished. For forty-eight months, that button had silently pumped $2,450 out of my dwindling savings account directly into the primary mortgage servicing pool for 442 Oakridge Lane.

Deep inside my banking app, the little green toggle next to the automati...

Ethan went pale—but his mother looked terrified and whispered, “Stop her before she finds out.” That was when I realized my triplets weren’t the only secret the Montgomery family had been hiding.

Ethan went pale—but his mother looked terrified and whispered, “Stop her...

After six years away, I came home and found my mother on her knees, dressed like a maid in the house I had bought for her.

After six years away, I came home and found my mother on her knees, dres...

Marcus froze, his glass stopping halfway to his mouth. "What... what are you talking about?"

"Ask your sister," Leo replied quietly, standing up and walking toward the door. "She was the one who held the shovel."

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