Chapter 9 - The Ultimatum
A deafening silence fell over the grand foyer.
I felt all the blood drain from my face, completely stunned by the sheer magnitude of Marlene's vicious lie.
Alexander did not yell, he did not curse, and he did not defend me with words.
Instead, he walked calmly over to the grand piano in the corner of the room, picked up his briefcase, and snapped it open.
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to play your final card, Marlene," Alexander said smoothly.
He pulled a small black flash drive from the case and tossed it to Lucas.
"Plug that into the television in the lounge," Alexander commanded.
Lucas didn't hesitate; he ran to the massive screen in the adjacent room and inserted the drive.
A video immediately popped up on the screen, showing crisp security footage from the First National Bank.
My mother and Aunt Marlene were clearly visible on the screen, sitting in an office with a nervous bank manager.
The audio played loudly through the surround sound speakers.
"Transfer the sixty thousand dollars to my sister's offshore account, and label the transaction under Lucas Davis," my mother's voice echoed through the room.
"When they investigate, they will just think Lucas is hiding assets from his new wife."
Lucas stared at the screen in pure, unfiltered horror as he watched his own mother frame him for financial fraud.
"You stole my wedding money and tried to frame me?" Lucas whispered, stepping away from our mother as if she were diseased.
My mother stammered, desperately looking around the room for a sympathetic face, but found none.
"But wait, it gets better," Alexander said, tapping a button on a remote he had pulled from his pocket.
The screen switched to a series of medical documents bearing the official seal of a top-tier private clinic.
"These are the results of a paternity test I had expedited this morning from the bloodwork taken at the hospital," Alexander announced.
He zoomed in on the final line of the document so the entire room could read it clearly.
"Probability of paternity: 99.9% Alexander Hale," Lucas read aloud.
Aunt Marlene shrank back against the wall, her malicious smile entirely erased by undeniable facts.
At that exact moment, the front doors burst open, and Chloe walked in wearing her sweatpants.
"I couldn't leave," Chloe cried, running straight into Lucas's arms.
"I love you too much, I don't care about your family, I just want to marry you."
Lucas held her tightly, kissing the top of her head as tears streamed down his face.
"You're marrying me today, Chloe, and they are not going to be here to ruin it," Lucas promised.
He turned toward our mother and aunt, his eyes completely hardened with absolute resolve.
"Get out of this house, right now, before I call the police," Lucas demanded.
My mother sneered, trying to maintain one final shred of her broken pride.
"You wouldn't dare call the cops on your own mother," she threatened.
May you like
Suddenly, the flashing red and blue lights of three squad cars illuminated the stained-glass windows of the front door.
"He didn't have to call them," Alexander said coldly. "Because I already did."
