Chapter 2 - The Billionaire's Heir
My father opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Elias Vale was not just a successful businessman in the city.
He was the ruthless CEO of Vale Industries, a global conglomerate worth billions.
More importantly, he was the primary rival that was slowly crushing Mercer Development.
My mother stumbled backward until her back hit the hospital wall.
"This is a joke," my father finally choked out, his face turning an angry shade of red.
"You cannot possibly be the father of this child, Elias," my father stammered.
Elias did not raise his voice, but the entire room seemed to vibrate with his quiet fury.
"I suggest you choose your next words very carefully, Richard," Elias warned smoothly.
"You are currently insulting my fiancee and my legal heir," Elias stated.
My parents looked at me with wide, horrified eyes.
Fiancee.
We had kept our entire relationship a complete secret for nearly three years.
I knew that if my family discovered I was dating their biggest corporate rival, they would have tried to destroy us both.
"Chloe, you are lying to him," my mother accused, pointing a shaking finger at me.
"She is just trying to secure a payout from a wealthy man," my mother lied desperately to Elias.
Elias laughed, a dark and completely humorless sound that echoed in the small room.
He reached inside his tailored coat and pulled out a certified medical document.
"We established paternity months ago," Elias said, tossing the paper onto the bed next to their ridiculous contract.
"Noah is officially recognized as a Vale, and he will inherit an empire that makes your little company look like a lemonade stand," he added.
My father's eyes darted frantically toward the thick folder containing the share transfer documents.
He suddenly realized that my twelve percent stake now technically belonged to the Vale family by extension.
Elias signaled for one of his sharp attorneys to step forward.
"Mr. Mercer, as of this morning, my client has initiated a hostile takeover of Mercer Development Group," the attorney announced briskly.
My father gasped loudly, clutching his chest.
"You cannot do that, we are a private family company!" my father shouted.
The attorney adjusted his expensive glasses with a smirk.
"Actually, sir, your son Grant secretly leveraged the company's assets to secure illegal offshore loans," the attorney revealed.
"Mr. Vale simply purchased that massive debt, making him the majority debt holder of your entire company," the lawyer explained.
My mother let out a pathetic whimper of defeat.
All of Grant's illegal activities, the exact crimes I had tried to expose years ago, had finally caught up to them.
"I tried to tell you, Dad," I whispered, holding Noah closer to my chest.
"But you chose to believe your golden boy instead of looking at the actual spreadsheets," I reminded him.
My father looked completely defeated, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his ruined empire.
"Please, Elias," my father begged, dropping his arrogant pride.
"Do not destroy our family legacy over a simple misunderstanding," he pleaded.
Elias stepped closer to my father, his dark eyes flashing with unbridled rage.
"You walked into this hospital room and called my newborn son a disgrace," Elias growled.
"You threatened to leave my future wife in total poverty," he continued, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
"I am not going to just destroy your company, Richard. I am going to erase the Mercer name from this city completely."
Before my father could even respond, the recovery room door burst open once again.
May you like
Grant Mercer stormed into the room, looking completely panicked and covered in sweat.
"Dad, the federal authorities are currently raiding our corporate offices!" Grant yelled.
