Chapter 18 - The Devil's Alliance
I nearly dropped the phone, absolutely stunned to hear Elias's calm, composed voice.
"How are you calling me from a maximum-security federal cell?" I demanded, my heart pounding violently against my ribs.
Elias chuckled softly, the sound incredibly clear and devoid of any background prison noise.
"I am not in a cell, Clara," he replied smoothly.
"I cut a highly classified immunity deal with the Department of Justice three hours after you had me arrested."
I sank heavily into the nearest kitchen chair, completely overwhelmed by the endless, twisted layers of deception.
"You traded all your criminal contacts to avoid prison," I realized aloud, feeling a sudden surge of profound disgust.
"I traded Julian's corrupt syndicate investors," Elias corrected me sharply.
"The feds wanted the shadow bankers pulling the strings, and I handed them the entire network on a silver platter."
He paused, letting the heavy, terrifying reality of his freedom sink in.
"But we have a much bigger problem right now, Clara. Julian is trying to steal my son."
I gripped the phone incredibly tightly, feeling a sudden, completely unwanted sense of mutual desperation.
"Julian has ironclad legal custody, Elias. He beat you at your own twisted game," I stated fiercely.
"Julian only has custody of the child Sienna claims is mine," Elias replied, his voice dropping to a deadly, serious whisper.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, completely utterly confused.
"I ran my own independent DNA test the day you confronted me, Clara," Elias confessed softly.
"The child Sienna is currently parading around is not biologically mine, and he is certainly not Marcus's child either."
The entire room seemed to spin as the devastating truth finally hit me.
Sienna had lied to absolutely everyone.
"Whose baby is it?" I whispered, almost terrified to hear the actual answer.
"The baby belongs to Dr. Vance," Elias revealed, dropping the ultimate, earth-shattering bombshell.
Sienna had manipulated the corrupt doctor into falsifying my fertility records, and she had clearly used him for much, much more.
"If Julian legally claims that child, he gets absolutely nothing," Elias explained smoothly.
"But if he presents the child to the federal trust board, they will run a mandatory, independent DNA verification before releasing the two hundred million dollars."
I instantly understood the horrifying implication of Julian's impending failure.
"When Julian realizes the baby is worthless, he will abandon him entirely, or worse," I realized, pure terror gripping my chest.
"We have to stop the trust hearing tomorrow morning, Clara," Elias stated firmly.
"I need your help to expose Sienna's final, massive lie to the court."
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I hated Elias for everything he had done to me, but I absolutely could not allow an innocent child to be used and discarded by a vengeful sociopath.
"Where are you right now?" I demanded, making the most dangerous decision of my entire life.
