Chapter 15 - The Turncoat
The two private security guards slowly raised their hands, cursed under their breath, and allowed the troopers to disarm them.
I stood frozen, still clutching the burgundy leather journal to my chest. "Harper... how did you know we were here?"
Harper crossed her arms, looking at David, then at me. Her lip trembled slightly, but she held her ground. "Julian Vance contacted me two days ago. He met me outside the dental clinic. He offered me two million dollars, a townhouse in London, and full visitation rights if I signed an affidavit claiming David had abused me and that you, Evelyn, had threatened my baby’s life to force me out of the house."
David gasped. "And you didn't take it?"
"I almost did," Harper said, her voice cracking. "I hated you, David. I hated your mother. I hated myself for being so stupid, so broke, and so weak. But then Julian told me that once Leo was in Delaware, Arthur would handle everything. He said Leo would be raised by professional governesses at the family estate in Surrey, and that I could see him 'when my schedule permitted.'"
She took a shaky breath, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "My father threw me away when I was ten years old. He used my name to hide stolen money when I was eighteen. He doesn't love Leo. He doesn't even love me. He just wants to own another Vance heir so his brother’s family doesn't inherit the shipping shares."
She looked straight at me, her eyes raw. "You were terrible to me, Evelyn. You were cold, you cut my cards, you humiliated my mother, and you threw me out on the street. But you never tried to buy my child. And you never stopped loving David."
I stared at the girl who had once made my home a living hell. She had been an arrogant, entitled monster when she lived under my roof—a reflection of Victoria’s narcissism and Arthur’s sociopathy. But somewhere in the furnace of rock bottom, among the dental charts and minimum wage checks, a spine had formed.
"Where is your father right now, Harper?" Martha asked gently.
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"He's in a private suite at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia," Harper said. "He landed three hours ago on his Gulfstream. He thinks Julian is going to present him with the Delaware custody warrant tomorrow morning at breakfast."
"Then we have a breakfast date," I said, handing the burgundy journal to Martha. "David, call your sister. Tell her to make sure Leo gets his oatmeal at seven sharp. We're going to the city."
