Chapter 5 - DESPERATE LIES
Desperate to salvage what was left of his life, Daniel and Vivian retreated into a corner, launching a vicious public relations war.
They hired a mercenary crisis-management team to spin the story. Within twenty-four hours, internet blogs and local gossip magazines were flooded with orchestrated articles claiming that I was an unfit, unstable mother who had abandoned her home in a state of mental breakdown, taking baby Lily away from her father without consent.
Vivian gave a tearful, fake interview on a local television channel, wearing a plain black dress and no makeup.
"We tried so hard to welcome Clara into our family," Vivian sobbed into a handkerchief on live TV. "She was so overwhelmed after the baby came. I was only trying to help her clean up a spill in the foyer when she flew into a rage and ran away with my granddaughter. We are terrified for the baby's safety!"
Watching the broadcast from the living room of my new penthouse, I felt a deep, boiling rage.
"She's lying," I whispered, clutching my fists tightly. "She's trying to make the public think I'm crazy so they can take Lily away from me."
Julian set down a laptop on the coffee table in front of me. "Let her lie, Clara. The higher she builds her castle of lies, the harder she falls when we knock the foundation out from under her."
"What's our next move?" I asked, looking up at my brother.
"Daniel just filed an emergency petition in family court for full custody of Lily," Julian revealed, a sharp, confident smile spreading across his face. "He claims you are mentally unfit and financially unstable. The custody hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning."
"Custody?" My blood ran cold. "He wants my daughter?"
"He doesn't want Lily because he loves her," Julian explained coldly. "He wants Lily because if he has custody of your daughter, he can petition the court to access her inheritance trust. He's using our baby as a financial lifeline."
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I stood up, stepping toward the window overlooking the city skyline. I was no longer the weak, terrified woman who bled on the marble floor of the Hale estate. I was a mother protecting her child, backed by truth, justice, and absolute power.
"Tell our legal team to prepare everything," I commanded, my voice cold as ice. "Tomorrow in court, we end this war."
