Chapter 4 - The Child at the Center
Sable couldn't breathe.
Julian Cross.
The man from the photographs.
The competitor.
The mysterious investigator.
The alleged biological father of her daughter.
It made no sense.
Weston stared at the DNA report.
“It's fabricated.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was there when Marlo was conceived.”
Sable looked at him.
He swallowed.
“She is my daughter.”
The certainty in his voice surprised her.
“Then why won't you acknowledge her?”
“Because my mother has access to the original corporate records.”
“And?”
“If Marlo is legally recognized as my child, she becomes a beneficiary under Elliott's agreement.”
Sable understood.
Clause Seven wasn't about blood.
It was about legal recognition.
If Weston acknowledged Marlo, Elliott's voting rights would activate.
Vivian wanted to prevent that.
But why involve Julian?
Because Julian's name could create doubt.
Sable contacted him.
He arrived that night.
Julian was older than she expected.
Silver hair.
Calm eyes.
He looked at the DNA report.
“I didn't father your daughter.”
Sable stared.
“Then why does this say you did?”
“Because someone wants you to believe it.”
“Who?”
“Vivian.”
Julian sat down.
“She has been trying to destroy Elliott's estate since his death.”
“Why?”
“Because Elliott discovered the original Callaway agreement.”
Julian explained.
Decades earlier, Callaway Holdings had been structured as a partnership between four families.
The Callaways controlled only twenty-five percent.
The other seventy-five percent belonged to the founding partners.
One of those partners was Julian's father.
Another was Elliott's father.
The fourth was Sable's grandfather.
But the records had been altered.
Callaway Holdings had gradually taken control.
Elliott spent years trying to restore the original ownership.
Before he died, he transferred his interest to Sable.
That was the folder.
But Clause Seven was more important than Sable realized.
If Weston rejected a child he knew to be his, the agreement assumed he was acting under coercion or bad faith.
The trust would then remove him from succession.
That meant Weston could lose his position.
Vivian wanted him disqualified.
Weston wanted to protect his mother.
And Sable had become the deciding factor.
“Why did Elliott trust me?”
Julian smiled.
“Because you were the only person in the family who wasn't interested in power.”
Sable looked down.
“I'm not.”
“That's why you're dangerous.”
Then Julian revealed another secret.
Elliott wasn't killed by illness.
He had been poisoned.
The death had been ruled natural.
Sable's stomach turned.
“Who?”
“We don't know.”
Weston stood.
“My mother.”
Julian shook his head.
“Not necessarily.”
A knock came at the door.
Detective Marcus Reed entered.
He had been investigating Elliott's death quietly after finding irregularities in the toxicology report.
“There was a second compound in his blood.”
“What compound?”
“A rare anticoagulant.”
Sable stared.
“Who had access?”
“Three people.”
“Who?”
“Vivian Callaway.”
“Elliott's physician.”
“And Weston.”
Sable looked at her husband.
Weston's face went white.
“I didn't kill him.”
“I believe you,” Reed said.
“Then prove it.”
Reed placed another document on the table.
“That's what we're trying to do.”
The document showed that Weston had been in another state when Elliott died.
But Vivian had been at the lake house.
So had Camille.
Sable suddenly remembered.
Camille had said:
“My son isn't Weston's.”
Maybe she knew who the father really was.
They found her at a motel outside the city.
She was terrified.
“Vivian knows I have the original medical records.”
“What records?”
“Elliott's.”
Camille handed Sable a USB drive.
“The truth about his death is on there.”
Sable inserted it.
The video opened.
Elliott sat at his desk.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, I'm probably dead.”
Sable's heart stopped.
Elliott continued:
“Weston isn't the enemy.”
“Neither is Camille.”
“Your daughter isn't the weapon.”
“She is the key.”
Then he looked directly into the camera.
“And Sable…”
His expression softened.
“Don't trust the person who tells you this is about money.”
The video ended.
Sable looked at Weston.
“Then what is it about?”
May you like
Julian answered.
“Control.”
