Chapter 2 - The Matriarch's Arrival
The door didn't just open,
it slammed against the wall with absolute force.
Eleanor Vance marched into the room,
her expensive designer heels clicking loudly on the floor.
She wore a sharp gray suit,
and her face was a mask of pure fury.
Behind her,
Julian followed like a scolded child,
his previous confidence completely gone.
"Where is that child?"
Eleanor demanded,
not even glancing at me in the bed.
She pointed her manicured finger at Doctor Morrison,
her eyes blazing with hatred.
"You have crossed a line,
Alan,"
she snapped,
her voice sharp as a razor blade.
"You had no right to speak about my son's medical history."
The doctor stood his ground,
crossing his arms over his chest calmly.
"I have a duty to the truth,
Eleanor,"
he replied without flinching.
"And the truth is,
your family has spent years tormenting this innocent woman."
Eleanor let out a sharp,
mocking laugh that echoed in the small room.
"Innocent?"
she sneered,
finally turning her cold gaze toward me.
"She is a common thief,
trying to palm off a stranger's child as a Vance heir."
I gripped my baby tighter,
feeling a sudden surge of maternal protective instinct.
"I don't want your name,
Eleanor,"
I said,
my voice steady despite my racing heart.
"And my son will never be a part of your twisted family."
Eleanor stepped closer to the bedside,
bending down so her face was inches from mine.
"You think you have a choice?"
she whispered,
her breath smelling faintly of expensive mints.
"Look at that birthmark,
Vivian."
"You don't even know who you really are,
do you?"
My brow furrowed,
a sudden chill running down my spine.
"What are you talking about?"
I asked,
sensing a deeper trap.
Eleanor straightened up,
smoothing her skirt with a satisfied smile.
"Twenty-five years ago,
the Wright family lost their youngest daughter in a tragic accident,"
she said slowly.
"They thought she drowned,
but she was actually taken by a desperate nanny."
"A nanny who changed her name to Vivian Marsh,"
Julian chimed in from the back of the room.
I felt the world spinning around me,
the words crashing into my mind like thunder.
"No,"
I breathed,
"that's a lie."
"My parents were good people,
they loved me."
"They were poor people who stole a billionaire's child,"
Eleanor corrected coldly.
"We knew the truth when Julian met you at the firm,
Vivian."
"Why do you think I allowed my son to marry a penniless auditor?"
"We needed your bloodline,
we needed the Wright inheritance that was locked away."
"The trust fund requires a biological heir from the Wright line to unlock the Meridian shares,"
Julian explained,
his voice filled with greed.
"Our plan was perfect,"
Eleanor added,
her eyes gleaming with malice.
"You would give birth,
we would take the child,
and you would be discarded."
"But you had to go and get pregnant before our secret medical procedure could even happen,"
she hissed,
glancing at the baby.
"Which means someone else got to you first."
"Who gave you that child,
Vivian?"
"Who helped you unlock the genetic code ahead of us?"
I stared at them,
realizing the terrifying depth of their absolute madness.
They had married me for an inheritance I didn't even know I possessed.
They had monitored me,
planned to steal my future baby,
and destroy my entire life.
But their plan had failed,
because nature had beaten them to the punch.
"I don't know,"
I said honestly,
looking down at my silver-eyed boy.
"But whoever he is,
he is going to destroy you."
Eleanor's smile vanished,
replaced by a look of sheer,
unadulterated venom.
"We will see about that,"
she whispered,
turning toward the door.
"Julian,
call the lawyers and the security team immediately."
"Nobody leaves this hospital room until I say so."
They swept out of the room,
leaving a heavy silence behind them once again.
Doctor Morrison locked the door behind them,
his face incredibly pale.
"Vivian,
we have very little time,"
he said urgently.
"They are going to use their influence to take this baby from you legally."
May you like
"We need to get you out of here,
now."
