Chapter 4 - The Secret Sale
My father stared at the attorney in total, uncomprehending shock.
"What do you mean she does not own the shares?" my father demanded aggressively.
"Chloe was gifted that equity by her grandfather when she turned eighteen; she cannot just lose it," he argued.
I gently adjusted the soft blanket wrapped around Noah to ensure he stayed warm.
"I didn't lose the shares, Dad," I said with a calm, steady voice.
"I legally sold them three days ago," I revealed quietly.
My mother stopped crying and looked at me as if I had grown a second head.
"You sold them?" my mother gasped in sheer horror.
"To whom?" she shrieked, her voice echoing off the sterile walls.
Elias casually adjusted the cuffs of his expensive tailored coat.
"She sold them to me," Elias stated with a satisfied smirk.
"I purchased her twelve percent stake at triple the current market value," he explained smoothly.
"That transaction provided me with the critical leverage I needed to force the hostile takeover this morning," Elias concluded.
My father looked like he was about to have a massive heart attack right there in the hospital room.
He grabbed the edge of the mattress and glared at me with absolute, burning hatred.
"You completely betrayed your own flesh and blood for a payout from your wealthy boyfriend," my father hissed venomously.
Elias instantly grabbed my father by the lapels of his charcoal suit and shoved him forcefully against the wall.
"Do not ever speak to her like that again," Elias growled, his voice vibrating with lethal intent.
"She did not take a single dime of my money for those shares, Richard," Elias said coldly.
My parents looked utterly confused.
"Then why did you sell them?" my mother asked me, her voice trembling with genuine fear.
"I transferred my shares in exchange for complete legal immunity from the federal investigation," I explained calmly.
"Grant had been secretly using my signature on fraudulent documents to frame me as the mastermind," I revealed.
My father's eyes widened as the horrifying truth finally sank into his brain.
His golden boy, his perfect son, had actively tried to send me to federal prison to cover his own massive crimes.
"If I hadn't sold my shares to Elias and turned over my evidence, I would be the one in handcuffs right now," I said firmly.
"And my newborn son would be placed in foster care while I rotted in a cell," I added, looking down at Noah.
My parents had absolutely nothing left to say.
Their entire world of lies, favoritism, and corruption had been completely shattered in less than an hour.
"Leave my hospital room," I ordered them softly but with absolute authority.
"And do not ever try to contact me or my son again," I finished.
Elias stepped back and gestured toward the open door with mock politeness.
My father straightened his ruined suit jacket and walked out without looking back once.
My mother lingered for a single second, her eyes finally dropping to look at her beautiful grandson.
But it was far too late for apologies or fake grandmotherly affection.
She turned and followed her disgraced husband out the door, leaving us in complete peace.
The hospital administrator quickly excused himself, and the attorneys slipped out to give us privacy.
Elias sat on the edge of my bed and wrapped his strong arms around both me and Noah.
"You were incredible," Elias whispered, kissing the top of my head gently.
"They finally know the truth," I sighed, feeling a massive, suffocating weight lift off my shoulders.
Elias gently stroked Noah's tiny hand, completely mesmerized by our perfect child.
"We are going home tomorrow, and you never have to think about them again," Elias promised fiercely.
Suddenly, Elias's cell phone buzzed aggressively in his coat pocket.
He pulled it out, and I saw his dark eyes instantly harden into solid ice.
"What is wrong?" I asked, my heart suddenly racing with panic.
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"Grant just made bail," Elias said, staring at the screen in disbelief.
"And he just withdrew five million dollars in untraceable cash from a hidden account."
