Chapter 5 - Confrontation in the Archives
"Julian," Matteo growled, stepping in front of Liana as the security guards raised their tasers. "You've crossed a line that has no return."
"Oh, please spare me the righteous melodrama," Julian sneered, stepping further into the room and casually locking the heavy door behind him. "Matteo gets everything: the CEO seat, the estate, the adoration. All I wanted was a little insurance policy. When Elena had a difficult pregnancy, it was terribly easy to convince Dr. Vance to switch the babies. Your brat was sickly, destined for a quiet disappearance in a state orphanage, while I kept the healthy heir—until my plans were slightly delayed."
Liana stepped out from behind Matteo, her eyes blazing with a fury that made even Julian take an involuntary step back.
"You killed my child's chance at life," Liana said, her voice shaking with righteous rage. "You used innocent human beings as pawns in your pathetic game for money."
"Your child wasn't killed, my dear," Julian laughed coldly. "He was simply relocated. A quiet adoption agency overseas. Fully legal on paper, completely untraceable. If you play your cards right, I might even tell you where he is—after Matteo signs over his voting shares in Varric Global."
Julian raised a small encrypted flash drive, waving it tauntingly. "The real DNA records and the location coordinates are right here. Surrender the board seat, Matteo, or lose your son permanently."
Matteo looked at Julian, then down at Liana. A silent communication passed between them—a shared understanding born of mutual grief and fierce, protective love.
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"You think I care about shares?" Matteo whispered dangerously.
Suddenly, Matteo lunged forward with explosive speed, tackling Julian into a massive rolling server rack. The flash drive flew out of Julian's hand, sliding across the slick tile floor toward Liana.
