Chapter 2
Damian gently handed the hospital bracelet to Lila before standing back up to face his fiancée. He unfolded the aged note completely, his piercing eyes scanning the elegant, familiar handwriting of his late wife. The cinematic lighting of the ballroom cast harsh shadows over his sharp jawline as he read the desperate confession.
"It is Elena’s handwriting," Damian stated, his rugged features tightening as he processed the words. "She wrote this the night she died. She says the boy was born first. She paid the private doctor to falsify the medical records and take him away."
Celeste slowly pushed herself up from the ruined desserts, brushing frosting from her emerald gown. Her initial terror was rapidly morphing back into her natural, cold ruthlessness. "She gave him away, Damian. She knew the life you lead. She knew a son would be groomed to take over your syndicate. She wanted him to have a normal, safe life away from the guns and the violence."
"She lied to me," Damian growled, his voice a low thunder. "And you knew about this. You recognized the music box."
"I found it hidden in the estate’s vault yesterday," Celeste sneered, her beautiful, manipulative face twisting with disdain. "I brought it here tonight to destroy it. I am going to be your wife, Damian. When we have a son, he will be the sole heir to your empire. I could not risk an illegitimate, hidden twin surfacing in twenty years to challenge my children for the throne!"
Damian took a slow, deliberate step forward, his polished leather shoes crunching over broken crystal. The physical threat radiating from his broad-shouldered frame was immense.
"You shoved my seven-year-old daughter to the floor to protect your financial interests?" Damian asked, his calm tone far more terrifying than a shout.
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"She was holding the one thing that could ruin our future!" Celeste fired back, adjusting her diamond earrings. "I did what had to be done to secure our legacy!"
"You have no legacy here," Damian replied, his eyes locking onto hers. "Your future in this family ended the second your hand touched my daughter."
