Chapter 1 - The DNA of a Titan
“A stray orphan?” Victoria Vance did not yell. She didn't have to. Her voice dropped to a glacial whisper that made the entire courtroom temperature plummet.
She turned slowly away from me, her piercing green eyes locking onto Marcus. For a fleeting second, I saw Marcus’s smug arrogance falter, replaced by the primal fear of a mouse staring down a hawk.
“You speak to my daughter again with that tone,” Victoria said, stepping toward him, “and I will personally ensure your name is scrubbed from every industry, bank, and social registry in this hemisphere. You will cease to exist in the corporate world.”
Marcus swallowed hard, his face turning an ashen gray. “Ms. Vance… this is insane. She’s Maya. She grew up in a group home in Detroit. I know her background!”
“You know nothing,” Victoria snapped, pulling a thick, leather-bound folder from one of her suited guards. She slammed it onto the mahogany table right in front of Judge Harrison. “Thirty-two years ago, my daughter was kidnapped from her crib by a disgruntled former business partner. For three decades, I have spent hundreds of millions of dollars hunting for her. Three days ago, my private investigators finally matched the DNA from a mandatory hospital blood test Maya took for her pregnancy.”
The judge adjusted his glasses, his hands trembling as he flipped through the official lab reports, the Vance Corporation seals, and the indisputable DNA matching certificates.
“It’s authentic, Your Honor,” the judge whispered, looking up in absolute shock.
Victoria turned back to me, the ice in her eyes melting into absolute warmth. “You don’t have to fight anymore, Maya. You are a Vance. And a Vance never begs.”
She wrapped her arm around my trembling shoulders. “We are leaving,” she announced to the room.
May you like
“Wait!” Marcus stammered, stepping forward. “We… we are still legally married! The ink isn’t dry! I have rights to that child!”
Victoria paused at the double doors. She looked back at him with a smile so lethal it could have cut glass. “My legal team will be in touch, Marcus. Enjoy the nothing you fought so hard for.”
