His eyes scanned the page. The color drained from his face immediately.
“What is this?”
“A notice. Your father has been funneling company money into Daniel’s lifestyle while hiding it beneath consulting fees. Daniel signed false financial disclosures during our divorce. Camille helped move assets through her boutique account.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.”
He stared at me silently.
I stepped closer. “You have two options. Continue lying for them and drown alongside them, or tell the truth when the room starts asking questions.”
“She’ll destroy me.”
“No,” I said quietly. “She already has. I’m simply handing you the microphone.”
From inside the ballroom, Camille’s voice rang out brightly.
“Gift time!”
Alistair looked physically ill.
I touched his sleeve lightly.
“Wrong woman,” I whispered.
“What?”
“She thought she stole from someone weak.”
Then I walked back toward the applause.
Camille opened lace blankets, tiny shoes, silver baby spoons engraved with Baby Mercer. Every present made her glow brighter. Every compliment made Daniel stand taller.
Then she reached for my blue box.
The atmosphere shifted before she even untied the ribbon.
Guests leaned forward curiously. Daniel crossed his arms. Camille lifted the lid with exaggerated sweetness.
“Oh, Naomi,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You really shouldn’t have.”
Inside sat a framed document.
Not a birth certificate.
Not a blessing.
A certified DNA report.
Camille’s smile froze instantly.
Daniel frowned. “What the hell is that?”
I stood slowly.
“My gift,” I said calmly, “is the truth.”
A murmur spread through the room immediately.
Camille tried slamming the box closed, but Daniel snatched the frame from her hands. His eyes moved across the page once. Then twice. His entire face emptied of color.
“What is this?”
His mother stood abruptly. “Daniel?”
“It says I’m not the father,” he whispered.
Silence exploded across the ballroom.
Camille clutched her stomach instinctively. “That’s fake.”
“No,” I replied evenly. “It’s certified. Just like the fertility records proving Daniel has been sterile since birth.”
Daniel spun toward me furiously. “You lying—”
“Careful,” Evelyn interrupted as she stepped into the room beside two men in suits. “My client is presenting documented facts. Defamation works both ways.”
Camille’s eyes darted wildly. “Your client?”
“My lawyer,” I said calmly. “You remember Evelyn. She handled my divorce after the two of you convinced me to settle for less because Daniel supposedly needed ‘emotional closure.’”
Daniel’s father rose slowly. “Who are those men?”
Evelyn opened another folder. “Forensic accountants. And also a court petition reopening the divorce settlement due to fraudulent asset disclosures.”
Daniel lunged toward the papers, but one of the men blocked him immediately.
Camille finally found her voice again. “This is harassment. She’s jealous because she couldn’t give him a child.”
Then Alistair stepped forward.
Every head turned toward him.
Camille whispered desperately, “Don’t.”
His face had turned white, but his voice carried clearly across the room.
“The baby is mine.”
Daniel looked like every bone in his body had vanished.
Camille shook her head frantically. “Alistair, stop. You’re confused.”
“You told me Daniel knew,” he said shakily. “You told me you loved me. You promised the child would still have the Mercer name, Mercer money, and nobody would ever question it.”
Daniel stared at his brother before slowly turning toward Camille. “You slept with him?”
She reached toward him desperately. “Danny, listen—”
He slapped her hand away.
His mother covered her mouth in horror. His father muttered a curse beneath his breath that sounded older than the house itself.
Then Evelyn delivered the final blow.
