Chapter 7 - Sophia’s Last Weapon
Sophia Carter knew she was losing.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Conspiracy.
Sabotage.
Fraud.
Obstruction.
Her attorneys warned her that prison was almost certain.
So Sophia did what she had always done when cornered.
She attacked.
Two days before her detention hearing, several tabloids received an anonymous package.
Photographs of Anna living in Montana with Daniel.
Photographs of Daniel holding newborn Leo.
Photographs of Anna kissing Daniel’s cheek outside a hospital.
The headline appeared before breakfast.
**MORETTI’S “DEAD” WIFE HID SECRET CHILD WITH ANOTHER MAN FOR THREE YEARS.**
By noon, reporters surrounded Anna’s townhouse.
Vincent saw the story during a board meeting.
He stood so quickly his chair slammed backward.
Marco grabbed his phone.
“I’ll have legal issue takedowns.”
“No.”
Marco stared at him.
“No?”
Vincent looked at the photograph.
Anna was smiling beside Daniel while holding baby Leo.
Three years ago, the image might have enraged him.
Now he saw something different.
Daniel had been there when Vincent wasn’t.
He had helped keep Anna alive.
“Find out where Anna is.”
“She’s at home.”
Vincent headed for the door.
Outside Anna’s townhouse, reporters shouted questions.
“Mrs. Moretti, was Leo actually fathered by Daniel Hayes?”
“Did you fake your death to extort your husband?”
“Were you having an affair before the crash?”
Anna stood behind closed curtains, shaking with rage.
Daniel paced.
“This is Sophia.”
“Obviously.”
“She wants Vincent to question Leo.”
Anna looked toward the stairs where her son was sleeping.
“That’s exactly what she wants.”
A knock sounded.
Daniel checked the security monitor.
“Vincent.”
Anna opened the door.
Vincent entered.
She braced herself.
He held up one of the tabloid articles.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Anna’s face fell.
There it was.
She should have known.
“Get out.”
Vincent frowned.
“What?”
“Get out.”
“Anna—”
“You’re questioning Leo?”
Realization hit him.
“No.”
She stared at him.
Vincent tore the tabloid in half.
“I came here to ask whether there’s anything you want me to say publicly before I destroy this story.”
Anna stopped.
“What?”
“I don’t care about these photographs.”
Daniel looked surprised.
Vincent turned toward him.
“You kept my wife alive.”
Daniel said nothing.
“You helped raise my son.”
Vincent swallowed his pride.
“I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
Daniel studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
Vincent faced Anna again.
“Leo is mine.”
“You’re sure?”
“I don’t need a test.”
Anna’s eyes burned.
He stepped closer.
“I know my son.”
That afternoon, Vincent stood before dozens of reporters outside Moretti Tower.
Sophia expected him to deny Anna.
Instead, he looked directly into the cameras.
“My wife did not fake her death.”
The reporters erupted.
Vincent continued.
“She survived a criminal act that is currently under federal investigation.”
More shouting.
“My son, Leo, was born after the crash.”
Someone called, “Are you requesting a paternity test?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Vincent’s jaw tightened.
“Because I’m not allowing a desperate criminal defense strategy to turn my family into a spectacle.”
The clip went viral within an hour.
But Sophia had one final move.
That night, Anna received a message from an unknown number.
**You still don’t know why Vincent invited me on that trip.**
Attached was an audio file.
Anna pressed play.
And heard Vincent’s voice say:
May you like
**Bring the documents. Anna can never know.**
---
