Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Paper Castle
The silence that followed my words was suffocating. Dominic’s hand stayed frozen on the handle of the NICU door. The smug, self-satisfied smirk that had been plastered across Natalie’s face only moments ago began to twitch, her fingers tightening around the fabric of my cashmere coat.
"Your... grandfather?" Dominic turned around slowly, a forced, mocking laugh escaping his throat. "Audrey, stop playing pathetic games. Your parents died when you were a teenager. You were raised by an old, retired clerk from upstate. You told me yourself your family had nothing but a modest trust fund."
"I told you what you needed to hear to show your true colors, Dominic," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerously calm whisper. "And you didn't disappoint."
Natalie stepped forward, her expensive heels clicking loudly against the sterile linoleum floor. "Dominic, she’s bluffing. Look at her. She’s trapped in a hospital chair, wearing a faded gown, abandoned by everyone. She’s just trying to scare us so we won't throw her out of the apartment tonight. Don't let her stall."
But Dominic wasn't looking at Natalie. He was looking at the phone still clutched in my hand, and more importantly, he was looking at the nurse standing by the doorway. Nurse Sarah, who had previously been frozen in shock, was now staring at me with a mixture of profound awe and sudden realization.
Saint Aurelia Medical Center was the crown jewel of the Vance Medical Group—a multi-billion-dollar global healthcare empire. The founder and CEO, Arthur Vance, was a legendary, reclusive billionaire who rarely appeared in public but whose word was absolute law within these walls. And my legal name, before I had the misfortune of changing it to Dominic’s, was Audrey Vance.
"Audrey, what did you just say?" Dominic’s voice finally lost its calm edge, replaced by a tremor of anxiety. "What hospital network?"
Before I could answer, the heavy double doors of the NICU suite burst open.
The typical hushed murmur of the intensive care unit was shattered by the heavy, rhythmic thud of combat boots. Six towering men in sharp black tactical uniforms, bearing the gold crest of Vance Security, marched into the room. Leading them was a man in a tailored charcoal suit—Chief Harrison, the head of global security for my grandfather.
Behind them walked a man whose presence caused the entire room's atmosphere to shift instantly. Arthur Vance. At seventy-five, he still stood well over six feet tall, his silver hair neatly combed back, his piercing blue eyes fixed entirely on the two incubators behind me before shifting to the couple standing in the center of the room.
"Grandfather," I whispered, the first tear of genuine exhaustion finally slipping down my cheek.
Arthur didn't look at Dominic or Natalie. He walked straight past them, treating them as if they were nothing more than empty air. He stopped beside my chair, his large, calloused hand gently resting on my shoulder.
"My brave girl," Arthur murmured, his voice thick with an emotion he rarely showed the world. He glanced at the side-by-side incubators where Liam and Chloe lay, their tiny bodies fighting for every breath. "They look just like you did when you were born. Strong. Fighters."
Dominic’s face drained of all color. He knew exactly who Arthur Vance was. As the owner of a mid-sized medical supply company, Dominic had spent the last two years desperately trying to secure a meeting with even a low-level procurement manager at Vance Medical Group. He had pictures of Arthur Vance cut out from business magazines pinned to his office mood board.
"Mr... Mr. Vance?" Dominic stammered, his knees visibly shaking. "I... there must be some mistake. Audrey is... Audrey is my wife. We were just discussing our divorce."
Arthur finally turned around. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory gaze that had broken corporate titans for decades.
"I heard the entire conversation on the phone, young man," Arthur said, his voice quiet but echoing with terrifying authority. "You spoke about my great-grandchildren as if they were liabilities. You spoke to my granddaughter as if she were a dog you could cast out into the street."
"No! No, sir, you don't understand!" Natalie chimed in, her voice shrill as she panicked, clutching her pregnant belly. "Audrey lied to us! She hid her wealth! She let Dominic believe they were struggling! It’s her fault! And this coat—"
"Chief Harrison," Arthur interrupted, not even granting Natalie a glance.
"Yes, Mr. Vance," the security chief replied, stepping forward.
"Remove these trespassers from the premises immediately. Revoke their access barcodes. If they ever set foot within a one-mile radius of any Vance property, hospital, or corporate building, have them arrested for criminal trespass."
"Wait! You can't do this!" Dominic screamed as two massive security guards grabbed his arms, pinning them behind his back. "I have a business contract with this hospital! My company supplies the orthopedic braces for the outpatient clinic! You can't just throw me out!"
Arthur offered a cold, humorless smile. "You had a contract, Dominic. As of three minutes ago, Vance Medical Group has terminated all relations with your company. Furthermore, we are auditing every single invoice you have submitted over the past three years. If we find so much as a misplaced decimal point, I will ensure the federal authorities look into your financial practices."
"Audrey! Please!" Dominic yelled, thrashing against the guards' grip as they began dragging him down the hallway. "Talk to him! We can fix this! Think of the babies! They need a father!"
"They have a family, Dominic," I said clearly, looking at him one last time. "They just don't have a donor anymore."
Natalie was escorted out next, sobbing hysterically, the hem of my custom ivory cashmere coat dragging along the dirty floor of the public corridor as onlookers gathered to watch the spectacular downfall of the man who thought he had won everything.
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As the doors closed behind them, the NICU returned to its peaceful silence. I looked down at the signed divorce papers in my lap and handed them to Chief Harrison.
"Give these to our legal team," I said softly. "Tell them to make sure he gets exactly what he asked for. Nothing."
