Chapter 7 - Brenda’s Web of Lies
Claire didn't look at Ethan as if he were an enemy; she looked at him as if he were a speck of dust on an otherwise pristine marble floor.
Alexander Vance stepped forward, his piercing gaze sweeping over the assembled media. The chaotic crowd fell so silent that only the whir of camera lenses could be heard.
“My name is Alexander Vance,” he stated plainly, his deep baritone carrying naturally through the plaza. “Chairman of Vance Maritime and Global Capital. And this is my sister, Claire Vance-Mercer. The sole owner, founder, and majority stakeholder of the company you are currently standing in front of.”
Murmurs of absolute shock rippled through the press corps.
“That’s a lie!” Margaret screamed from behind the podium, her neck brace forgotten as she pointed a shaking finger at Claire. “She’s an orphan! A nobody! She tricked my son into marrying her!”
Claire stepped to the microphone. The serene, dangerous smile playing on her lips made Ethan’s spine turn to liquid nitrogen.
“Five years ago, Ethan,” Claire said, her voice smooth, calm, and utterly lethal, “I gave you my heart, and you gave me deceit. You took the seed money my trust provided, claimed it as your own genius, and belittled me in the privacy of our home. You told me last night that Brenda was giving you the child I never could.”
She signaled slightly with her left hand. Arthur stepped forward, holding a stack of manila folders stamped with the seal of the Department of Forensic Medicine.
“You claimed I was barren, Ethan,” Claire continued, her eyes locking onto his terrified face. “What you didn't know is that three years into our marriage, after your mother continuously humiliated me at family gatherings, I had a comprehensive fertility panel done. The results were conclusive: I am entirely healthy. But when I discreetly examined your medical history through our private clinic, I discovered the truth you kept hidden even from yourself.”
Claire pulled out a single sheet of paper.
“Ethan Hayes has suffered from severe, non-correctable azoospermia since childhood due to a severe case of mumps at age twelve. You are, and have always been, entirely sterile.”
The courtyard erupted into chaos.
Ethan grabbed the podium for balance, his face turning an ashen gray. “What...? That’s impossible! That’s a lie! Brenda is pregnant with my son!”
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Brenda’s face drained of every ounce of color. She instinctively took two steps backward, away from Ethan, her eyes darting frantically toward the subway entrance across the plaza.
“Oh, Brenda is certainly pregnant,” Claire said smoothly, her gaze shifting to the trembling mistress. “Sixteen weeks along, to be precise. Arthur, display the secondary report on the monitors.”
