Chapter 4: The Secret Behind the Inheritance
Theron stared at the message on his computer screen until the words stopped looking like words.
*Once the child is removed, the inheritance problem disappears.*
For several seconds, he forgot how to breathe.
The office around him was dark except for the glow of the monitor. Outside the window, the city continued moving as if nothing had changed.
Cars passed.
People laughed on sidewalks.
Someone somewhere was ordering coffee and complaining about the weather.
And inside the Viremont mansion, a father had just discovered that the people closest to his daughter might have been planning to erase her from their lives.
Theron printed the documents.
Then he printed them again.
As if more copies could somehow make the truth less impossible.
The payment from Lucien to Corisande.
The hidden account.
The messages.
Everything connected back to one thing.
Eirlys.
His daughter was not caught in the middle of a marriage falling apart.
She was the reason powerful people wanted the marriage destroyed.
A soft knock came from the doorway.
Theron quickly closed the laptop.
"Daddy?""
His heart dropped.
Eirlys stood there holding her stuffed rabbit.
She was wearing pink pajamas, her hair messy from sleep.
"Why are you awake?""
She stepped inside.
"I had a bad dream.""
Theron immediately stood.
"What happened?""
She looked at the floor.
"Mommy was angry.""
The words were quiet.
Too quiet.
He walked over and lifted her into his arms.
"You're safe.""
She rested her head against his shoulder.
"Are you going to leave too?""
The question cut deeper than anything else.
"Never.""
"Promise?""
He closed his eyes.
"I promise.""
But this time, he understood promises were not enough.
Promises did not protect children.
Actions did.
The next morning, Theron arrived at Viremont Holdings before sunrise.
The building was already awake.
Executives walked quickly through the marble lobby. Assistants carried files. Security guards nodded as he passed.
Everyone knew the Viremont name.
Everyone knew Lucien had built the company from nothing.
But almost no one knew what kind of man he was behind closed doors.
Theron entered the private elevator.
When the doors opened, Lucien was already waiting.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come here.""
Theron's expression hardened.
"You knew.""
Lucien poured himself coffee.
"I know many things.""
"You paid Corisande.""
No reaction.
That was the most terrifying part.
Lucien didn't deny it.
"You searched through private accounts.""
"You manipulated my wife.""
Lucien finally looked at him.
"Your wife was always easy to manipulate.""
Theron's hands curled into fists.
"She is the mother of my child.""
"She is a woman who wanted luxury more than love.""
The casual cruelty made Theron's stomach turn.
"What is your plan?""
Lucien sat down.
"My plan?""
"Don't pretend.""
Lucien leaned back.
"You have always been dramatic.""
"You tried to take my daughter.""
"I tried to protect the company.""
There it was.
The truth.
Not hidden.
Not disguised.
The company mattered more.
Theron stared at him.
"Explain.""
Lucien looked toward the city.
"The Viremont inheritance has conditions.""
Theron's face changed.
"What conditions?""
"You were never supposed to know.""
"Know what?""
Lucien was silent.
Then he opened a drawer and removed an old folder.
Inside was a legal document.
Theron picked it up.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
"No.""
Lucien watched him carefully.
"Your grandfather created a trust.""
Theron read the words again.
The Viremont family fortune would not pass directly to Theron.
It would pass to the first legitimate heir born into the next generation.
Eirlys.
His daughter.
Theron's voice became cold.
"So that's why.""
Lucien nodded.
"She controls everything.""
"No.""
"Yes.""
Lucien tapped the document.
"Your daughter owns what you built.""
Theron laughed without humor.
"She is three years old.""
"Exactly.""
The room went silent.
Lucien continued.
"If something happens to her, control returns to the family board until the next heir.""
Theron stared at him.
"You planned to remove a child.""
Lucien's expression remained unchanged.
"Careful with your words.""
"You threatened my daughter.""
"I created an opportunity.""
Theron stepped closer.
"For what?""
Lucien looked directly at him.
"For the family to survive.""
The answer was so cold that Theron almost didn't recognize the man as human.
"You know what your problem is?""
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"You think blood makes someone family.""
Theron walked toward the door.
"No.""
He stopped.
"I think protecting a child makes someone human.""
Before he could leave, Lucien spoke.
"Theron.""
He turned.
"You still don't understand.""
"What?""
"Corisande wasn't the only person involved.""
A chill moved through him.
"What does that mean?""
Lucien smiled faintly.
"It means you should ask why the police report was filed so quickly.""
Theron returned home with one thought repeating in his mind.
Someone else was involved.
Someone had helped Corisande.
And he needed to know who.
That evening, Marcus arrived with new information.
"I found something.""
Theron looked up.
"Tell me.""
Marcus placed a folder on the table.
"Your wife's lawyer.""
Theron frowned.
"What about him?""
"He isn't just her lawyer.""
"Who is he?""
Marcus hesitated.
"Someone who worked for your father.""
The room became still.
Theron opened the folder.
A photograph fell out.
Corisande.
Lucien.
And another man.
Standing together.
Before Theron and Corisande were even married.
His eyes narrowed.
"When was this taken?""
Marcus answered quietly.
"Six months before your wedding.""
Theron's stomach twisted.
Corisande hadn't entered his life by accident.
She had been placed there.
But the final page in the folder was worse.
It was a message exchange.
One line from Corisande.
One line from Lucien.
*Corisande: "What about the child?""*
*Lucien: "If it is a boy, we adjust. If it is a girl, we proceed.""*
Theron's vision blurred.
Because suddenly he understood something.
The slap wasn't a moment of anger.
It was a test.
May you like
And if Corisande had succeeded...
Eirlys would have disappeared.
