Chapter 4 - THE BOSTON CONSPIRACY
Natalie’s knees buckled, and she slid down the banister until she was sitting on the second step, staring up at Ethan like he was a ghost. The silence in the foyer was absolute, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.
“You... you investigated me,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“When you moved into my house, I had my security team run a complete background check,” Ethan said, tossing the manila folder onto the mahogany bench. Papers spilled out, revealing old bank statements, police reports, and a birth certificate bearing a signature Natalie had forged herself. “I knew you weren't from old money. I knew your father’s shipping company went bankrupt due to embezzlement. What I didn't know—what you lied about on every single level—was how you cleared your path to the top.”
Natalie trembled, her green eyes darting toward the front doors as if considering a desperate sprint across the lawn. But the heavy iron gates at the end of the driveway were locked, and the security guards were already stationed outside.
“Clara Vance was my mother’s private secretary,” Ethan continued, his voice steady and lethal. “When my mother passed away, she left a substantial trust for Clara’s daughter, Elena. But miraculously, Clara disappeared, the trust was mysteriously liquidated, and you suddenly appeared in New York with enough capital to launch your socialite career.”
“It was legal! She signed papers!” Natalie shrieked, hysteria finally breaking through her composure.
“She signed nothing under duress,” Ethan corrected, stepping closer. “And more importantly, you didn't just ruin Clara’s life. You tried to erase her entire bloodline. But karma has a strange sense of humor, Natalie. Because the granddaughter of the woman you robbed just walked through my front door.”
Natalie froze. Her breath caught in her throat. “What... what are you talking about?”
Ethan held up the small gold button Lily had found. “This button belonged to my grandfather’s winter coat—the same coat he lent to Clara’s husband during the blizzard of ’98. Rosa Morales isn't just a housekeeper who stumbled into my estate through an employment agency. Rosa’s mother was Clara Vance. And little Lily... Lily is my blood relative’s cousin, carrying the exact same genetic markers that run through the Harmon family.”
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Natalie stared at him in utter horror, realizing the game was entirely, irrevocably over.
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