He turned back.
"Then when did the pregnancy lie begin?"
Claire wiped her cheeks.
"After we'd been dating several months."
He stared.
"Who suggested it?"
She looked toward Evelyn again.
The older woman's expression was hard.
Daniel followed her gaze.
His mother spoke.
"Daniel, Claire is frightened. She's exaggerating because she's embarrassed."
Claire stared.
For one second, something like anger crossed her face.
Then she reached into her handbag.
She removed her phone.
Opened a message.
And held it toward Daniel.
"Ask your mother what this means."
Daniel took the phone.
A message from Evelyn appeared.
The prosthetic needs to fit properly before the celebration. Daniel cannot notice anything unusual.
He stared.
Then scrolled.
Another message.
The appointment story must remain consistent. Remember what we discussed.
Another.
The final payment comes after the family documents are signed.
Daniel stopped.
He read the last sentence again.
Then looked toward Claire.
"What documents?"
Claire began trembling.
"I don't know all of them."
He stared.
"Claire."
She swallowed.
"Your mother said you needed to sign something for the family trust. She said the pregnancy would help you understand why it was urgent."
Daniel slowly turned toward Evelyn.
The older woman remained still.
For a moment, her face looked almost expressionless.
Then she lifted her chin.
"This family has financial obligations you don't fully appreciate."
Daniel stared.
"What did you do?"
She looked toward Claire.
"She accepted money."
Daniel's face tightened.
"Mother."
Evelyn continued.
"She wasn't an innocent victim."
"I didn't say she was."
He stepped closer.
"What did you do?"
For the first time, Evelyn's voice rose.
"I tried to protect this family!"
Daniel stared.
She gestured toward the ballroom.
"Your father built something extraordinary. You have spent years allowing people outside this family to question our judgment, challenge our decisions, and threaten everything we worked for."
Daniel felt his stomach twist.
"People outside this family?"
Evelyn looked away.