Chapter 2 - The Strategy of Silence
Twenty-four hours later, a thick manila folder sat on the glass desk of Aaron’s penthouse. Richard Hale stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, swirling a glass of scotch despite it being barely noon.
"She’s living in a cramped two-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens," Richard said, not turning around. "Works as a freelance accountant. Barely making ends meet. The girl, Iris, is enrolled in a public school nearby. No father listed on the birth certificate."
Aaron opened the folder. The photos showed Elena carrying groceries, looking exhausted, the vibrant woman he once knew worn down by the grinding gears of survival. And then there were pictures of Iris. The resemblance wasn't just physical; it was in the way she held herself—the stubborn tilt of her chin, the serious gaze. It was a mirror image of Aaron’s own childhood photos.
"She’s mine, isn't she?" Aaron said, his voice a low growl.
"Does it matter?" Richard turned, his eyes cold and pragmatic. "Aaron, think about the firm. We are three weeks away from a public offering. If the media catches wind that the bachelor billionaire of Vale Strategic has a secret love child living in poverty while he sits on a nine-figure fortune, the stock will plummet before it even hits the floor. It looks like gross negligence. It looks like abuse."
"I didn't know!" Aaron slammed his fist on the desk.
"The public won't care what you knew," Richard snapped. "They will care about the narrative. Elena Vance left because she wanted to leave. Let her stay gone. I've already sent a legal representative to her apartment with a non-disclosure agreement and a check for two million dollars. It ensures her silence, and it ensures the girl is provided for. It’s a clean break."
Aaron felt a sickening sensation in his stomach. Two million dollars to buy off his own daughter. "You did what without my permission?"
Before Richard could answer, Aaron’s private line rang. It was an unknown number. He snatched the phone. "Vale."
"Aaron." Elena’s voice was shaking, laced with an anger so volatile it vibrated through the speaker. "Your pitbull attorney just showed up at my home while my daughter was coloring at the kitchen table. He offered me money to sign away my child's right to ever speak your name."
"Elena, listen to me, that wasn't my call—"
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"I don't want your millions, Aaron," she hissed, tears breaking through her stoic facade. "I never wanted anything from you. But if you think you can threaten my family, you have no idea what I’m capable of. Keep your lawyers away from my daughter, or I will ensure the world finds out exactly what kind of monster Aaron Vale really is."
The line went dead. Aaron looked up at Richard, his eyes burning with fury. "Get out of my office, Richard. Before I throw you out of the window."
