Chapter 6: The Price of Two Children
James opened Emily’s cloud account on his laptop.
A video showed Victoria entering the nursery while Emily stood between her and the twins.
“Where did you get that bracelet?” Victoria demanded on the recording.
“It fell from the diaper bag,” Emily answered.
“Give it to me.”
“I’m calling James.”
Victoria seized the phone and forced Emily into a chair.
The picture shook, but her next words were clear.
“If you tell him Laura gave birth to these babies, I’ll say you tried to take them.”
James paused the video.
“You knew exactly what you were doing.”
Victoria glanced at Andrea.
“That clip lacks context.”
“What context makes restraining Emily acceptable?” Eleanor asked.
“Emily was hysterical.”
On the screen, Emily’s voice remained steady.
James pressed play again.
Victoria held a cord and said, “Once the trust releases the money, James won’t matter.”
The room went silent.
“What trust?” Laura asked from the open doorway.
Andrea spun around.
“You were ordered to leave.”
“I was outside when James texted me to return as a witness.”
James faced Victoria.
“My grandfather’s family trust.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“It transfers twelve million dollars when James has biological children.”
Laura stared at the twins’ altered certificates.
“That’s why she used his genetic material.”
Victoria pointed at James.
“That money belongs to our family.”
“It belongs to the children,” James said.
“You would have wasted it on charities and employees who pretend to care about you.”
Emily stood straighter.
“You mean employees like me?”
Victoria turned to Laura.
“I’ll give you one million dollars tonight.
Sign a statement saying you changed your mind after the birth.”
Andrea caught her breath.
“Victoria, stop talking.”
“No,” Laura replied.
“Two million.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll make sure every newspaper in Texas calls you a woman who sold her babies.”
Laura walked toward her.
“Tell them I was poor.
Tell them I trusted you.
Then tell them why your husband’s signature was forged.”
Victoria snatched the laptop.
James caught the edge, but she shoved it toward the fireplace.
Eleanor blocked her with the cane, and the laptop struck the rug instead.
“That was your last warning,” Eleanor said.
“My warning?” Victoria shouted.
“I know what you did with Father’s company accounts.”
Eleanor took out her phone.
“You mean the accounts you used without permission?
I gave those records to a forensic accountant this morning.”
Andrea stepped away from Victoria.
“You told me the payments came from your personal funds.”
“They did.”
“No,” Eleanor said.
“They came from a company account labeled medical consulting.”
James opened the financial file Eleanor sent him.
Six payments had gone to Dr.
Nathan Sloan, director of the fertility clinic.
Laura pointed at the final entry.
“That payment was made the day the hospital file disappeared.”
Andrea gathered her papers.
“I cannot continue representing you if you lied about the source of the money and the authenticity of James’s consent.”
“You work for me,” Victoria said.
“Not anymore.”
Victoria’s phone lit up on the table.
DR.
SLOAN flashed across the screen.
James put the call on speaker.
“Victoria,” the doctor said, “the hospital recovered the backup file.
My board knows everything.
You promised those records were gone.”
Victoria grabbed the phone and ended the call.
James stared at her.
“What else did you pay him to hide?”
She picked up her purse and moved toward the door.
Eleanor stood in her path.
“Answer him.”
Victoria’s gaze shifted to the babies.
“The trust required two living biological heirs,” she said.
“I gave James exactly what his family demanded.”
Laura stepped between Victoria and the stairs.
“You did not give him children.
You turned our children into a payment request.”
A second call reached James’s phone.
His attorney spoke the moment he answered.
“The trust administrator received a withdrawal request this morning.
May you like
Victoria is trying to move all twelve million dollars.”
James looked up, but the front door was already swinging shut.
