Chapter 3 - THE BILLIONAIRE’S CLAIMSJack felt a wave of icy instinct wash over him. "I called social services and the local precinct hours ago, Mr. Sterling. The girls were found shivering in an alley. If you're here as a hospital board member—"
"I’m not here as a board member," Victor interrupted, stepping onto the threshold, forcing Jack to hold his ground. "I’m here as their uncle."
Inside the living room, Susan let out a sharp cry.
Victor looked past Jack’s shoulder, his eyes locking onto Emma and Olivia. A terrifyingly calm smile spread across his lips. "Lisa Morrison was my half-sister, Jack. A secret my father carried to his grave. And those two girls sitting on your rug are the sole legal heirs to thirty percent of Sterling Pharmaceuticals."
Jack’s blood ran cold. Sterling Pharmaceuticals. The multi-billion-dollar enterprise currently undergoing a massive federal audit over experimental clinical trials.
"Lisa never mentioned a brother," Jack said, his voice dropping an octave. "She had no family left after her mother died."
"Lisa was unstable," Victor said coldly, taking a step closer. "She took off with company assets three years ago—assets that rightfully belong to the trust set up for those children. I’ve spent months tracking her down to ensure her children are placed in proper care. Not in a dilapidated two-bedroom home with a dying woman and a staff nurse who can barely pay his heating bill."
"They stay here until child protective services arrives," Jack said, his jaw clenching. "I don't care who you are, Mr. Sterling. You don't take kids off a porch at dawn without a court order."
Victor sighed, reaching into his inner coat pocket. For a terrifying second, Jack thought he was pulling a weapon. Instead, Victor produced an official document stamped with a probate court seal.
"I hold temporary emergency guardianship, signed by Judge Harrison two hours ago," Victor said, holding the paper inches from Jack’s face. "Hand them over, Jack. Don't make me bring the state troopers into this. It would be... terrible for your career at Saint Matthew's."
Jack looked at the paper. The seal was real. The authority was absolute.
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Behind him, Emma stepped forward. She didn't look at Victor. She looked straight at Jack.
"He's lying," Emma whispered, her voice piercing the silence. "Mommy told us... the man in the suit killed our baby brother."
