I stood slowly.
“My gift,” I said calmly, “is the truth.”
A murmur spread through the room immediately.
Camille tried slamming the box closed, but Daniel snatched the frame from her hands. His eyes moved across the page once. Then twice. His entire face emptied of color.
“What is this?”
His mother stood abruptly. “Daniel?”
“It says I’m not the father,” he whispered.
Silence exploded across the ballroom.
Camille clutched her stomach instinctively. “That’s fake.”
“No,” I replied evenly. “It’s certified. Just like the fertility records proving Daniel has been sterile since birth.”
Daniel spun toward me furiously. “You lying—”
“Careful,” Evelyn interrupted as she stepped into the room beside two men in suits. “My client is presenting documented facts. Defamation works both ways.”
Camille’s eyes darted wildly. “Your client?”
“My lawyer,” I said calmly. “You remember Evelyn. She handled my divorce after the two of you convinced me to settle for less because Daniel supposedly needed ‘emotional closure.’”
Daniel’s father rose slowly. “Who are those men?”
Evelyn opened another folder. “Forensic accountants. And also a court petition reopening the divorce settlement due to fraudulent asset disclosures.”
Daniel lunged toward the papers, but one of the men blocked him immediately.
Camille finally found her voice again. “This is harassment. She’s jealous because she couldn’t give him a child.”
Then Alistair stepped forward.
Every head turned toward him.
Camille whispered desperately, “Don’t.”
His face had turned white, but his voice carried clearly across the room.
“The baby is mine.”
Daniel looked like every bone in his body had vanished.
Camille shook her head frantically. “Alistair, stop. You’re confused.”
“You told me Daniel knew,” he said shakily. “You told me you loved me. You promised the child would still have the Mercer name, Mercer money, and nobody would ever question it.”
Daniel stared at his brother before slowly turning toward Camille. “You slept with him?”
She reached toward him desperately. “Danny, listen—”
He slapped her hand away.
His mother covered her mouth in horror. His father muttered a curse beneath his breath that sounded older than the house itself.
Then Evelyn delivered the final blow.
