Chapter 4
At 8:30 AM, a fleet of three black sedans pulled out of the Moretti estate and headed toward downtown Chicago.
I was dressed in a tailored charcoal-gray suit that Mrs. Gable had brought for me, my hair styled in a sleek, professional bun. In my arms, I held Maya, who was dressed in a pristine white baptismal gown. Beside me, Luka looked regal and terrifying in a double-breasted black suit, his tattoos peaking subtly over his stiff white collar.
In his hand, he held a sleek gold thumb drive—the decrypted file M-17.
"The test was positive?" I asked, my heart pounding against my ribs as the glass towers of the financial district rose outside the window.
"One hundred percent match," Luka said, his gray eyes flashing with cold triumph. "Arthur’s genetic key locked M-17 to your bloodline. Maya’s DNA decrypted the file at four this morning. It contains not only the four-billion-dollar medical patent, but also eighteen years of encrypted financial records proving my uncle Victor embezzled three hundred million dollars from the company."
I took a deep breath, trying to process the sheer scale of what was happening. Twenty-four hours ago, I was a destitute woman betrayed by my husband in a public hospital. Now, I was holding the key to an international empire.
The Moretti Bio-Tech headquarters was a soaring seventy-story skyscraper in the heart of the city.
When our convoy pulled up to the front plaza, a crowd of reporters and security guards were already gathered near the entrance. Among them, standing near the marble steps, was Mark.
He looked unhinged. His suit was wrinkled, his hair disheveled, and his eyes bloodshot from a night without sleep. Beside him stood Brenda, holding a stack of legal documents.
As Luka stepped out of the vehicle and extended a hand to help me out, Mark pushed past the security line, screaming like a madman.
"Clara! Clara, stop right there!" Mark yelled, pointing a trembling finger at us. "You can't do this! That child is legally mine! I am her biological father!"
Luka stepped in front of me, his massive shoulder completely blocking Mark from my sight.
"Stand back, Mark," Luka warned softly, his voice containing a threat so lethal that even the surrounding reporters went silent.
"I won't stand back!" Mark shrieked, looking wildly at the news cameras. "This man kidnapped my wife from the hospital! He forced her to sign fraudulent papers! I am filing for full custody of that baby and claiming Arthur Hayes's estate!"
I took a step around Luka’s broad frame, looking Mark directly in the eye. For three years, I had been afraid of this man. I had walked on eggshells, apologized for things I didn't do, and let him make me feel small.
But looking at him now—desperate, pathetic, and greed-obsessed—the fear completely evaporated.
"You left me on the floor of the maternity ward, Mark," I said, my voice echoing clearly across the plaza. "You walked out with your mistress while our daughter was four hours old. You stole my purse, left me penniless, and tried to steal my father's legacy."
The news cameras swiveled toward Mark, their lenses clicking rapidly. Brenda’s face turned bright red as she tried to back away from him into the crowd.
"I... I was confused!" Mark stammered, his face turning pale. "I was under stress!"
"You weren't confused," Luka said, pulling out a sealed envelope from his jacket and tossing it directly onto Mark’s chest. "You were stupid. That is a restraining order issued by the Cook County Superior Court. You are prohibited from coming within five hundred yards of Clara or Maya."
Mark caught the envelope, his hands trembling violently. "This is a joke! Victor Moretti is the chairman of this company! He will never let you into that boardroom!"
May you like
Luka smiled—a cold, beautiful, terrifying expression.
"Victor isn't the chairman anymore, Mark," Luka said smoothly. "He just doesn't know it yet."
