I Noticed My Maid’s Son Had the Same Birthmark as Me—Then His Hospital Papers Listed Me as His Father.

Claire gasped, taking an involuntary step back toward the door. "Marco is dead. You buried him! I went to the church service with the rest of the staff!"

"We buried a closed casket," Victor said, his mind racing through memories of eight years ago. "The boat explosion off the docks burned everything to ash. The coroner identified him by dental records and the cracked signet ring found in the wreckage."

"The ring that turned out to be a fake," Claire realized, her voice trembling.

Victor didn't waste a second. "Mateo, bring Celeste up from the cellar. Right now."

"Boss, she's screaming for her lawyers—"

"I don't care if she's screaming for the Pope. Bring her here."

Five minutes later, two guards dragged Celeste back into the library. Her emerald gown was torn at the hem, her hair disheveled, but her eyes blazed with defiance.

"My father is going to burn this mansion to the ground, Victor! You have no idea what you've done!"

Victor ignored her threats. He slammed the printed bank wire onto the desk in front of her. "Who authorized this payout from Marco's account?"

Celeste looked at the paper, and for the first time, genuine confusion crossed her face instead of calculated deceit. "What is this? Marco's money was liquidated years ago!"

"Don't lie to me, Celeste," Victor warned, leaning over the desk. "Your father used this account to move money through the docks."

"My father hated Marco!" Celeste shrieked. "Marco was the one blocking our merger! If Marco had lived, my father never would have gotten fifty percent of the shipping lines! Why would we touch his ghost's bank account?"

Victor watched her face intently. In the world of organized crime, he had interrogated hundreds of liars. Celeste was manipulative, cruel, and selfish—but right now, the terror in her eyes was real. She had no idea about the offshore account.

"If your family didn't bring Claire here tonight," Victor whispered, "then who wanted her back in this house?"

Suddenly, the library lights flickered and went out.