Chapter 1 - The Shift in Power
The nurse looked down at the medical chart resting in her trembling hands.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the name written on the emergency contact line.
She looked back up at me with a completely different expression.
"Sterling?" she whispered.
I nodded my head slowly despite the immense pain radiating from my stitches.
"Yes, that Sterling," I replied.
Eleanor dropped her arrogant posture and took a cautious step backward.
Dominic scoffed loudly and rolled his eyes in pure disbelief.
"You are bluffing, Vivienne," he sneered.
"You grew up in a tiny apartment in the suburbs."
"There is absolutely no way you belong to the Sterling billionaire family."
I ignored my treacherous husband and focused entirely on the pale nurse.
"Make the call immediately," I commanded.
The nurse did not hesitate for another second.
She turned on her heel and sprinted out of the hospital room.
Chloe nervously tightened her grip on Dominic's expensive suit jacket.
"Dominic, what if she is actually telling the truth?" she asked.
"She is lying to buy herself more time," he answered confidently.
He pulled a gold pen from his pocket and threw it onto my hospital bed.
"I am not playing games with you anymore, Vivienne."
"Sign the final custody waiver right now."
"If you refuse, I will drag you through a legal battle that will leave you homeless and starving."
I stared at the gold pen resting on the sterile white blanket.
My beautiful daughter continued to cry softly in Dominic's careless arms.
I felt a surge of maternal rage push through my overwhelming physical exhaustion.
"You will never touch my daughter again," I said coldly.
Dominic laughed a cruel, mocking laugh that echoed in the small room.
He raised his hand to summon the private security guards he had brought with him.
Two massive men wearing dark sunglasses stepped into the doorway.
"Remove this surrogate from the premises immediately," Dominic ordered.
The men stepped forward to grab my arms.
Before they could reach my bed, a deafening crash echoed from the hallway.
Four men wearing tactical gear stormed into the room and tackled Dominic's guards to the floor.
Dominic stumbled backward in absolute shock.
A tall man in a pristine tailored suit walked slowly through the doorway.
It was my father's head of security, Marcus.
Marcus glared at Dominic with lethal intensity.
"Mister Carter, your company has just been entirely liquidated by Sterling Industries," Marcus announced.
Dominic's face lost every single ounce of its arrogant color.
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Before Dominic could speak, Eleanor suddenly reached into her designer handbag.
She pulled out a sharp surgical scalpel and held it dangerously close to my crying baby's cheek.
