Chapter 5 - The Web of Deception
The next morning, Ethan had a top private medical team arrive at the penthouse to perform a priority DNA test. Within four hours, the results came back with a 99.9% biological match.
Ethan walked into the sunny breakfast room where Laya was quietly eating pancakes. He sat down across from her, his eyes warm with affection.
"Laya," Ethan said gently. "Do you know who I am?"
Laya looked up, her fork resting on her plate. "You're the man who bought me away from Marcus."
"I am your father, Laya," Ethan said, his voice breaking. "Your mother was Clara. She loved you more than her own life. And I have been looking for you without knowing you were lost."
Laya stared at him, her lips trembling as years of neglect and street survival collided with the staggering realization that she was loved, wanted, and no longer alone. Slowly, she leaned forward and buried her face into Ethan's chest. Ethan wrapped his arms around her, holding his daughter for the very first time.
But the peace was short-lived.
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Ethan’s private security detail alerted him to suspicious activity outside the building. Blackened SUVs were parked across the street. The sinister syndicate that Clara had investigated—the high-level criminals behind Saint Jude's Hospital—had realized that Ethan Lancaster had taken Laya off the streets.
And at the head of that corporate criminal syndicate was a name Ethan knew all too well: Julian Vance, Ethan's senior board partner at Lancaster Enterprises.
