Chapter 6 - The Setup

The plan required flawless precision. Harrison Vance, Elena Rostova, and Evelyn Sterling possessed resources that reached into the highest tiers of federal law enforcement and international finance. Within forty-eight hours of our meeting, they had coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s public corruption and financial crimes divisions.
Peter's arrogance was his greatest vulnerability. He was so completely convinced of his intellectual superiority that he never suspected the web closing around him.
Two weeks before my scheduled delivery date, Peter received three separate notifications: each client was thrilled with the latest medical updates and had agreed to wire the final balance of their payments—a combined total of over five million dollars—into an offshore escrow account upon receiving final verification of delivery prep from Dr. Marcus.
Simultaneously, I initiated my part of the operation. I called Peter, my voice intentionally weak, trembling, and tearful.
""Peter... I'm bleeding,"" I wept into the phone, playing the part of a terrified, helpless victim to perfection. ""The contractions are unbearable. I can't reach Dr. Marcus. I came back to Boston... I'm at the private medical suite in the Back Bay brownstone like you told me to go if anything happened.""
Peter's voice spiked with panic, not for my life, but for his merchandise. ""Are you alone? Did you call an ambulance? Do NOT call 911, Nora! Marcus’s clinic has everything required for delivery. I'm ten minutes away. Do not leave that suite!""
The line went dead.
I sat in the plush leather armchair of the private medical suite—a luxurious, clandestine underground facility Peter had leased to conduct the deliveries away from public hospital oversight. But the room was no longer under Peter's control. Hidden behind two-way mirrors and concealed inside decorative wall sconces were federal surveillance cameras recording every angle in high-definition video and crisp audio.
Dr. Katherine Hayes from Massachusetts General stood beside me, monitoring the triplets’ strong, steady heartbeats with a portable ultrasound device. Rachel stood in the corner, a calm, lethal smile on her lips. In the adjoining room, a team of armed FBI agents sat in silence, headsets on, waiting for the signal.
Ten minutes later, the front door of the suite burst open.
Peter rushed in, his overcoat unbuttoned, his face flushed with adrenaline. He didn't look at my face; his eyes immediately darted to my stomach.
""Is Marcus here?"" he demanded, looking around the empty hallway. ""Where is the staff? Why aren't you prepped on the gurney?""
""Dr. Marcus isn't coming, Peter,"" I said calmly, resting my hands on my lap.
He froze, his eyes snapping to mine. The trembling, terrified woman he had spoken to on the phone was gone. I was sitting upright, completely composed, looking at him with utter disgust.
""What is this?"" Peter asked, his voice dropping into that familiar, menacing growl. ""What are you doing, Nora? You're having the babies today. The final wires are being cleared right now. If you ruin this, I swear to God—""
""You swear what, Peter?"" I interrupted, tilting my head. ""You'll sue me? With that fake surrogacy contract you forged using my stolen signature from Chicago? Or maybe you'll explain to the court how you stole my harvested eggs, fertilized them with your own sperm, and sold three identical fraud contracts to Harrison Vance, Elena Rostova, and Evelyn Sterling?""
Peter stared at me, his face draining of all color. For three full seconds, he was paralyzed. Then, a dark, venomous laugh slipped from his lips.
""You think you're clever, don't you?"" Peter hissed, taking two aggressive steps toward me, his hands curling into fists. ""You think you figured it out. But you don't have the proof, Nora. Marcus is on a flight to Belize. The servers were wiped yesterday. It's your word against mine, and on paper, you are an unstable, hysterical woman who agreed to carry embryos for compensation. You are going to lay on that bed, you are going to deliver those children, and I am walking away with that money. And if you open your mouth again, I will make sure you never see daylight again.""
""Is that a confession, Peter?"" I asked softly.
May you like
""It's a promise,"" he snarled.
At that exact moment, the double doors behind him flew open with a deafening crash.