Chapter 6 - The Ultimatum
"Where did you get that?" Evelyn finally whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she pointed a manicured finger at the folder on the marble floor.
"From the source," I replied evenly, stepping closer to her. "Dr. Vale is very talkative when he realizes the person he built an empire with is trying to throw him under the bus."
Grant looked between his mother and me, sheer confusion warring with panic on his face. "Mom... what is she talking about? What does Dr. Vale have to do with any of this? He was just our fertility specialist!"
"Shut up, Grant," Evelyn snapped, her composure momentarily returning as she flashed a glare of pure venom at her son. "You know nothing. You never had the stomach for how this family survives."
Those words—cruel, dismissive, and entirely devoid of maternal warmth—hit Grant like a physical blow. He staggered backward, staring at his mother as if seeing her for the first time. All his life, he had bent over backward to earn her approval, to live up to the impossible standards of the Bennett name, only to realize he was nothing more than a carefully managed prop in her grand design.
"Is it true?" Grant asked, his voice barely a whisper, cracking down the middle. "Am I... am I even your biological son?"
Evelyn didn't answer. Her silence was louder than any denial could ever be.
"No," Grant breathed, pressing his hands against his temples. "No, that's impossible. My father..."
"Your father passed away before you were born, Grant," I said softly, feeling a sudden surge of pity for the man who had also been manipulated by the woman standing before us. "And Evelyn needed an heir to secure his estate. When she found out you couldn't give her one naturally, she went back to the man who helped her launch this entire dynasty."
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"Enough!" Evelyn screamed, losing her grip entirely. She lunged forward, grabbing the folder off the floor and clutching it to her chest. "You think a few stolen papers can destroy what took fifty years to build? I will fight you in every court in this country. I will make sure you never see a dime, never hold a custody right, and never draw a peaceful breath again!"
"You can try," I said, turning toward the heavy oak door. "But by noon today, the SEC, the state medical board, and every major news outlet in the state will have certified copies of these documents. Your empire is built on glass, Evelyn. And the first stone has already been thrown."
