Chapter 2 - The Web of Lies
The murmurs among the guests transformed into an uproar. Cousins, aunts, and business associates who had come to toast Terrence’s upcoming merger with the Sterling family began whispering behind cloth napkins.
""Eight years?"" muttered Uncle Raymond, an influential attorney in Utah’s corporate circles. ""If those are his, the legal liability alone is astronomical.""
""Look at the boy on the left,"" whispered Aunt Beatrice. ""He looks exactly like Terrence’s high school yearbook photo. It’s undeniable.""
Terrence lunged forward, his face mottled red with fury and humiliated pride. ""Get out! I don't care what fake papers you printed off the internet! You rented a helicopter to make a scene because you couldn't stand seeing me succeed! You're bitter! You're broke and you want my money!""
I looked at him, feeling nothing but pity. The man standing before me was a hollow shell of vanity and cowardice.
""Broke?"" I chuckled softly, tilting my head. ""Terrence, look closely at who is standing in your mother’s foyer. Do I look like a woman begging for your scraps?""
Before Terrence could reply, a tall, distinguished man in his late fifties stepped out from the dining room. It was Richard Sterling, Victoria’s father, the ruthless patriarch of Sterling Logistics. His sharp, gray eyes scanned the four children, lingered on their features, and then locked onto me.
Richard’s eyes widened slightly. ""Wait a minute... Keahu Vance? Keahu Vance of Vance Global Logistics?""
A deafening hush descended upon the room once more.
Terrence blinked stupidly. ""Vance? Her name is Keahu Coleman—well, Keahu Rivera! What are you talking about, Richard?""
Richard ignored Terrence completely, stepping forward with genuine respect etched across his weathered face. ""Keahu Rivera-Vance. The CEO of the enterprise that just outbid us on the Pacific shipping terminal last month. You're the visionary who revolutionized cold-chain pharmaceutical transport across North America.""
Lorraine looked like she was about to faint. ""She’s... she’s what?""
""She runs a billion-dollar supply chain conglomerate,"" Richard said coldly, casting a venomous side-eye at Terrence. ""And you told me your ex-wife was a destitute waitress living on food stamps in Arizona?""
I extended my hand to Richard Sterling, offering a professional, courteous smile. ""A pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Sterling. It’s unfortunate our paths cross under these domestic circumstances, but I believe in transparency. Especially when it concerns families.""
Richard shook my hand firmly, his jaw set in stone. ""The pleasure is mine, Ms. Vance. And trust me, transparency is something this household sorely lacks.""
Terrence backed away until his spine hit the mahogany wall. The arrogant mask he had worn his entire life was crumbling into dust. Eight years ago, when he walked out, my grandfather, William Vance, had found me crying on the floor of our tiny apartment. He had taken me in, helped me heal, and when the quadruplets were born, he taught me everything he knew about the family business. When he passed away three years ago, I didn't just inherit the company—I quadrupled its revenue.
I had never asked Terrence for a dime because I didn't need his money. But I had kept every single medical record, every hospital bill, and every formal paternity filing locked away in a safe, waiting for the exact moment he tried to rewrite history.
""Terrence,"" Victoria said, her voice shaking with controlled rage. ""Tell me the truth right now. Did you abandon a pregnant woman?""
""Victoria, baby, she ambushed me!"" Terrence pleaded, grabbing her hands. ""We were young, we were broke, I was under intense pressure! She told me she was pregnant right when I got fired from my first firm! I panicked! I thought she was making it up to keep me from moving to New York!""
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""You didn't panic, Terrence,"" I said, my voice echoing clearly through the vaulted room. ""You packed your bags while I was sleeping, drained our joint savings account of thirty-two thousand dollars, canceled my health insurance, and left a note on the kitchen counter telling me to get rid of them or die alone.""
Victoria gasped, snatching her hands away from Terrence as if he were covered in venom.
