Chapter 4 - The Illegitimate Heir
The silence that followed Arthur's declaration was deafening.
Julian picked up the paper, staring at the numbers that erased his entire identity.
"That's impossible," Julian stammered, looking from Arthur to Eleanor.
"You're my dad."
Arthur turned away, refusing to meet Julian's pleading eyes.
"Your mother has some explaining to do."
Eleanor collapsed into a chair, burying her face in her hands.
"It was sixteen years ago," she sobbed, her perfect façade crumbling completely.
"You were so cold to me, Arthur."
She looked up, mascara running down her tear-stained cheeks.
"Marcus Vance was charming, he was there, and I made a mistake."
Leo watched the wealthy family tear itself apart, feeling strangely disconnected from their pain.
"So Marcus is my real father," Leo stated flatly.
Arthur whirled around to face the homeless boy.
"Marcus is a monster who runs the criminal underworld of this city."
"When I found out Eleanor was pregnant, I thought the child was mine."
Arthur pointed an accusing finger at Eleanor.
"But Marcus knew the truth."
Eleanor nodded weakly.
"Marcus threatened to take the baby away from me."
"So when the twins were born early and one was very sick, Arthur told me the sick one died in the incubator."
Arthur's face hardened into a mask of pure granite.
"I didn't let him die."
"I gave the sick twin back to his real father."
Julian stumbled backward, horrified by the monster he had called Dad his whole life.
"You gave a sick baby to a criminal to hide a scandal?"
Arthur buttoned his suit jacket, perfectly calm once again.
"I protected my empire."
Just then, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse suddenly shattered inward.
Armed men dressed in tactical black gear swung into the living room on heavy ropes.
Before anyone could scream, a tall man in a bespoke suit walked through the broken glass, holding a golden cane.
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"Hello, Eleanor," Marcus Vance said, smiling warmly at the terrified woman.
"I've come to collect my sons."
