Chapter 4 - The Four Billion Dollar Trap
“Julian is dead!” Grant shouted, his voice cracking with pure panic. “He died seven years ago! His death certificate was signed by the state of New York!”
“A death certificate based on your testimony and a bribe paid to a Italian coroner,” I corrected him coldly. “You see, Grant, when you married me five years ago, you thought you were marrying a quiet, grieving schoolteacher who knew nothing about corporate finance. You thought I was a harmless trophy to complete your public image.”
I stood up, holding Noah securely against my chest.
“What you didn’t know was that Julian didn’t die on that boat. He was pulled from the water by fishermen. He spent three years in a coma in a private clinic in Zurich—a clinic funded entirely by an anonymous trust created by his true love.”
Grant backed away until his spine hit the courtroom wall. “No... no, you were just a girl from upstate—”
“I was Julian’s secret wife,” I revealed softly. “We were married in secret six months before the explosion. When he finally woke up from his coma three years ago, his memory was shattered, but his love for me wasn't. And four months ago, using preserved genetic material stored at a private fertility bank in Geneva before his voyage, we created Noah.”
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Grant’s eyes bulged. “You... you used IVF with Julian’s frozen sample?”
“Noah isn’t your son, Grant,” I whispered. “He is Julian’s legitimate, legal heir. And under the original Ashford Trust charter, the moment a direct biological heir of Julian Ashford is born, all executive authority over Ashford Capital instantly reverts to the mother as legal guardian.”
