"No. They wore all black, including gloves. But Alex..." She hesitated. "Before they left, they dropped something. An envelope. I managed to grab it before I passed out. It's in my purse."Derek had brought Nora's purse from the hotel. Alex found the envelope, plain white, unsealed. Inside was a single photograph.It showed Alex leaving the county jail yesterday. Leaving his meeting with Richard Whitmore. The timestamp was clearly visible.On the back, written in neat handwriting: "You made a choice. Now face the consequences. Your family for your revenge. Choose wisely."Alex's hands shook with fury. Whoever was behind this had just declared war. And they'd chosen to attack the two people he loved most.His phone buzzed. A text from the unknown number:"Did you enjoy my message? Your wife and child live or die based on your next choices. In four hours, you'll receive instructions. Follow them exactly, or the next 'accident' will be fatal. Oh, and don't bother increasing security. I h

"We split up," Alex decided. "You go to the hospital. Find Dr. Chen. Figure out if she's actually compromised or if they're lying. I'll go to the factory and get Marcus.""Sir, this could be a trap.""Everything's a trap. At least this way we're not sitting here waiting to die." Alex headed for the door. "Vincent, if something happens to me…""Nothing's going to happen to you.""If it does, protect Nora and the baby. Whatever it takes. Promise me."Vincent met his eyes. "I promise. But Alex? Don't do anything stupid. You're about to be a father. That baby needs you.""That baby needs to be born alive. Everything else is secondary."They left the law firm separately. Vincent headed to the hospital. Alex drove toward the Riverside district, where the old steel factory had been abandoned for a decade.His phone buzzed constantly with messages:"Twenty minutes, Alexander.""Your friend is scared. He keeps asking for you.""Tick tock."Alex pushed the car faster, running red lights, weaving

The next morning brought a development Alex hadn't expected.Catherine Davis arrived at the hospital.She walked into Nora's room without knocking, her face pale and drawn. When she saw Alex sitting beside her daughter's bed, something crumbled in her expression."May I... may I speak with both of you?"Nora woke at her mother's voice. "Mom? What are you doing here?""I needed to see you. To apologize." Catherine's voice shook. "To beg your forgiveness for things I can barely comprehend.""Where's Dad?" Nora asked. "Does he know you're here?""Your father is at home, under police supervision. They haven't arrested him yet, but they will. He knew about Thomas's plans. Not all of them, but enough. He knew your grandfather was plotting something against Alex, and he... he did nothing to stop it." Tears spilled down Catherine's cheeks. "I didn't know. I swear to God, I didn't know what they were planning. But I should have. I should have seen the signs.""Why are you here?" Alex asked, hi

The bone marrow test results would take forty-eight hours.Forty-eight hours of waiting to confirm what Alex already knew in his heart, that Sophia was his daughter, that he would do anything to save her, that his life had just become infinitely more complicated.But he didn't get forty-eight hours.He got forty-eight minutes.Alex was sitting in Jennifer Chen's modest living room, watching Sophia color a picture of a castle, when his phone exploded with notifications. Not one or two, dozens, then hundreds, all arriving simultaneously.Vincent's face went pale as he checked his own device. "Sir, we have a situation.""What kind of situation?""The kind that's going viral. Someone just held a press conference. Someone claiming to be the real Alexander Castellano."The world stopped."What did you just say?"Vincent turned his phone around. On the screen, a man stood behind a podium surrounded by reporters and camera flashes. He was tall, dark-haired, with features that could pass for A

"But what if…""No." Vincent knelt beside Alex's chair, forcing eye contact. "Listen to me. I've worked for you for twelve years. I've seen you make decisions that only someone raised by Jonathan Castellano could make. I've watched you navigate corporate politics with instincts that took a lifetime to develop. I've observed you maintain relationships with people who've known you since childhood, people who would have noticed if you were suddenly replaced by an imposter fifteen years ago. You are Alexander Castellano. And we're going to prove it.""How?""The same way we prove everything else. With evidence. With testimony. With facts." Vincent pulled up his tablet. "I'm calling in every favor we have. Every investigator, every lawyer, every contact in law enforcement. We're going to track down everyone who knew you as a child. We're going to find hospital staff who were present at your birth. We're going to locate your mother or find out what really happened to her. And we're going to