Chapter 2 - The Fortress of Lies
My mind was a chaotic storm of shock, betrayal, and lingering trauma. For four agonizing years, I had built my life around a single, painful truth: Sebastian Vale had abandoned us. I had worked two jobs, lived in a cramped two-bedroom apartment in Queens, and sacrificed every comfort to ensure Noah, Ivy, and Owen never felt unwanted.
And now, in the span of ten minutes, the entire foundation of my heartbreak had been shattered.
"Get up, Sebastian," I said softly, struggling to maintain my composure as park visitors began glancing in our direction. "You're making a scene."
Sebastian stood up slowly, wiping his face with the back of his hand. The grief in his eyes was instantly replaced by a dark, cold fury that radiated from him like heat from a furnace. The billionaire prince of the Vale empire was gone; in his place stood a predator who had just realized his own blood had been turned against him.
"You live in Queens," he stated, looking at the worn fabric of my winter coat and the slightly frayed edges of the children's blankets. "Arthur's report said you were living in a luxury penthouse in Paris."
"I've never been to Paris in my life," I retorted bitterly. "I work as a freelance graphic designer. I earn enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. No thanks to the Vale trust fund I refused to touch."
Sebastian’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. "Arthur managed the trust payouts. He made me believe you were draining hundreds of thousands of dollars every quarter."
He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a sleek black smartphone, and speed-dialed a number. He placed it on speaker.
"Boss?" answered the gruff, deep voice of Marcus Vance, Sebastian's head of personal security and the only man in Manhattan who knew where all the Vale family bodies were buried.
"Marcus," Sebastian said, his tone ominously calm. "I need you to pull every financial ledger, security log, and mail intercept record from the main estate in Greenwich for the past four years. Specifically, anything related to Maya Lin."
There was a brief pause on the line. "Boss... Mr. Arthur explicitly classified those files under Tier-One clearance—"
"I don't give a damn what my grandfather classified!" Sebastian roared, his voice booming across the plaza, causing several pigeons to scatter into the grey sky. "Arthur lied to me! He hid my children from me, Marcus!"
A sharp intake of breath echoed from the phone speaker. "Children, sir?"
"Three of them," Sebastian said, his eyes never leaving mine. "Four years old. Living in Queens. Bring the armored fleet to Central Park South immediately. We are taking my family home."
"No!" I shouted, stepping between Sebastian and the stroller, my posture instantly turning defensive. "We are not going anywhere with you, Sebastian! You don't get to command me around like one of your corporate employees!"
Sebastian lowered his phone and looked at me, his expression softening slightly, though the underlying fire remained. "Maya, listen to me. If Arthur knew about the children—and he clearly did—then your apartment in Queens is not safe. If he intercepted your letters, he has had eyes on you for four years. Do you honestly think a man who faked an abortion record wouldn't resort to something worse if he feels threatened?"
A cold dagger of ice slid down my spine.
He was right. Arthur Vale was a man who viewed human beings as assets or liabilities. If he realized Sebastian had discovered the truth, there was no telling what the ruthless patriarch would do to preserve his control over the Vale empire.
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"I won't let you hide them in some dark estate, Sebastian," I said, my voice trembling.
"I'm not hiding them, Maya," Sebastian promised, reaching out and gently taking my hand. His skin was warm, familiar, and sent a sudden rush of electricity through my veins that four years of distance hadn't managed to kill. "I'm protecting them. From my family. From everyone."
