CHAPTER 6: THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED LILY
CHAPTER 6: THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED LILY
The convoy skidded to a stop.
Six SUVs.
At least a dozen armed men.
The judge's bodyguards immediately drew weapons.
My pulse thundered.
This wasn't about adoption papers anymore.
This wasn't about Tiffany anymore.
Something much darker was unfolding.
One of the SUV doors opened.
A woman stepped out.
Elegant.
Cold.
Terrifyingly composed.
She looked to be in her late fifties.
The moment the judge saw her, all color drained from his face.
"No..." he whispered.
The woman smiled.
"Hello, Daniel."
The judge took a step backward.
Emily gasped.
She recognized her too.
I didn't.
Yet somehow I knew she was important.
Very important.
The woman approached slowly.
Every person around her seemed afraid.
Even the armed men.
Even the judge.
Especially the judge.
Finally she stopped a few feet away.
Then her eyes landed on me.
"Ryan Bellamy."
I nodded cautiously.
"Who are you?"
Her smile faded.
"My name is Victoria Hale."
The name meant nothing to me.
Until Emily whispered beside me.
"Oh God..."
I turned.
Emily looked horrified.
"She's the founder."
"The founder of what?"
Emily swallowed hard.
"The fertility network."
Suddenly everything clicked.
The clinic.
The cover-up.
The missing records.
The bribery.
The disappearing witnesses.
This woman sat at the center of it all.
Victoria calmly folded her hands.
"You've caused quite a mess."
The judge snapped.
"You told me the child would never be found."
Victoria's eyes shifted toward him.
For several seconds she said nothing.
Then she smiled.
"That was your first mistake."
The judge looked confused.
"My first mistake?"
"Your second mistake was believing Lily belonged to you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then Victoria said something that froze every person present.
"Lily is my granddaughter."
My heart stopped.
Emily stopped breathing.
Even the judge looked stunned.
Victoria continued.
"The embryo that was implanted into Emily belonged to my daughter."
The ground seemed to vanish beneath me.
No wonder everyone had fought to hide the truth.
No wonder people had disappeared.
No wonder records had been erased.
This wasn't merely a scandal.
It was a family war involving people with unimaginable wealth and influence.
Then Victoria delivered the final blow.
"The biological parents never died."
"What?"
"They've been searching for Lily for three years."
My chest tightened.
Three years.
Searching.
Waiting.
Hoping.
And now they knew.
Victoria looked toward the horizon.
More headlights appeared in the distance.
Another vehicle.
Coming fast.
Very fast.
This time, however, Victoria didn't smile.
She looked genuinely nervous.
Then she whispered six words that made everyone panic.
"They found out where she is."
The judge's face turned white.
May you like
Emily grabbed my hand.
And somewhere far away, a little girl named Lily was about to become the center of a battle that none of us were prepared to survive.
