Chapter 15 - The Real Father
They returned to Margaret’s townhouse before sunrise.
Margaret opened an old safe.
Inside were estate copies she had kept without Charles’s permission.
One folder contained payments to Evelyn Mercer.
Nathan followed the transaction codes.
Every payment originated from Charles.
But every reimbursement came from another private account.
Vale International.
Ethan stared at the page.
“Richard was paying Charles back.”
Margaret nodded.
Nathan leaned against the table.
“So Richard Vale was Adrian’s father.”
“Most likely.”
Vanessa looked confused.
“Then why would Adrian want to prove Charles was his father?”
“Because Charles’s estate was larger.”
Ethan’s answer was immediate.
Margaret shook her head.
“It may be more complicated.”
She opened another file.
Richard had been married when Adrian was born.
His wife controlled almost half of Vale International.
A public scandal involving an illegitimate child could have triggered a divorce and destroyed the company.
Charles agreed to protect him.
Evelyn accepted financial support.
Adrian grew up knowing Charles’s name but not understanding why Charles was involved.
Nathan looked at Vanessa.
“Mercer thought he had been robbed of a Cole inheritance.”
Vanessa nodded slowly.
“And everything I did helped him build a claim.”
Margaret looked alarmed.
“What claim?”
Vanessa went pale.
“He collected Nathan’s DNA.”
Nathan stared.
“When?”
“The first fake prenatal appointment.”
“How?”
“You drank water from a glass.”
Ethan cursed under his breath.
Vanessa continued.
“Adrian kept the glass.”
Nathan felt sick.
“He was planning to fabricate a genetic relationship.”
Margaret immediately understood.
“If he could produce a fraudulent DNA report suggesting Nathan was his half brother—”
“He could challenge the estate.”
Ethan finished the sentence.
Nathan stared at Vanessa.
“And you knew?”
“No.”
Her answer came quickly.
“He told me the DNA was necessary to establish the baby’s trust eligibility.”
Nathan laughed.
“A baby that didn’t exist.”
Vanessa lowered her head.
“Yes.”
Ethan began searching Adrian’s known businesses.
Then one name appeared.
Mercer Genetic Consulting.
Registered eighteen months earlier.
Nathan looked at the address.
It was only seven blocks from Cole Meridian headquarters.
They arrived just after sunrise.
The office was empty.
Computers had been removed.
Files had been shredded.
But a printer tray still contained one page.
Nathan picked it up.
PATERNITY ANALYSIS.
Subject A: Adrian Mercer.
Subject B: Nathan Cole.
Probability of shared paternal relationship: 99.7%.
Ethan stared.
“Fabricated.”
Margaret nodded.
“Almost certainly.”
At the bottom was a scheduled filing date.
Monday.
Two days away.
Vanessa looked at Nathan.
“If he files that in court—”
“He creates a public inheritance dispute.”
Margaret finished.
“And while the court freezes the estate, someone could profit from the chaos.”
Nathan looked at the offshore transfers.
Richard Vale’s supposed death.
The manipulated documents.
The missing ledger.
Then he understood.
“Adrian isn’t doing this alone.”
Ethan nodded.
Nathan looked toward the door.
“Richard Vale is alive.”
A voice behind them answered.
“Yes.”
Everyone turned.
An elderly man stood in the doorway.
He leaned heavily on a cane.
May you like
Richard Vale smiled.
“And I’ve been waiting three years for someone to finally figure that out.”
