Chapter 13 - The Woman Behind the Second Plan
Miranda felt the blood leave her face.
“What person?”
Victor closed his eyes briefly.
“Nathan’s wife.”
No one spoke.
Miranda had not even known Nathan was married.
“Name.”
“Celeste Hayes.”
“Why would she care about my embryos?”
“Because Nathan’s plans changed.”
Victor’s voice was weak but clear.
“He originally wanted Julian removed from Hayes Meridian. Nothing more.”
“Nothing more?” Miranda repeated.
Victor winced.
“Poor choice of words.”
“Very.”
“But Celeste became obsessed with the family trust.”
Adrien leaned closer.
“Explain.”
Victor swallowed.
“Nathan has one daughter. Sophie.”
Miranda frowned.
“If Nathan inherits, wouldn’t Sophie eventually inherit?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“The preferred shares can only transfer through the male line unless no eligible descendant exists.”
Miranda stared.
“That is medieval.”
“It was written in 1974.”
“Still medieval.”
Victor nodded.
“If Julian has a biological child, Nathan’s branch may lose control permanently.”
Miranda’s stomach twisted.
“The embryos.”
“Yes.”
“Celeste wanted them destroyed?”
Victor hesitated.
“I think she wanted leverage.”
“What does that mean?”
“She asked Carver whether the embryos could be transferred.”
Miranda stood so fast the chair hit the wall.
Adrien caught her arm.
“She wanted to steal them?”
“I don’t know.”
“You just said transfer.”
“I never participated in that part.”
“But you knew.”
“Only recently.”
Miranda’s voice shook.
“And you said nothing.”
Victor looked at her.
“I was attacked before I could.”
“That does not erase the days before that.”
“No.”
Adrien’s hand tightened around hers.
Miranda forced herself to breathe.
“Where is Celeste?”
“London.”
“Does Nathan know what she did?”
“I don’t know.”
Within hours, federal authorities and British law enforcement received the information.
The fertility clinic increased security.
Miranda authorized destruction of all outdated transport documents and changed privacy protocols.
But emotionally, the threat had changed something inside her.
The embryos represented a life she once imagined with Julian.
A nursery.
A child.
A marriage she had believed would last.
After the divorce, she could not bring herself to destroy them.
She also could not imagine using them.
Now strangers had turned them into inheritance instruments.
Assets.
Threats.
Miranda hated that more than anything.
That evening, Adrien found her sitting on the townhouse stairs.
“You should sleep.”
“I should make a decision.”
“Tonight?”
“Maybe.”
He sat beside her.
“About the embryos?”
“Yes.”
He said nothing.
Miranda loved him for that.
No jealousy.
No question about whether they represented Julian.
No pressure.
She leaned her head on his shoulder.
“I spent years thinking they were my last chance to become a mother.”
Adrien remained still.
“Then the divorce happened,” she continued. “And suddenly they felt like ghosts.”
“Miranda—”
“I don’t mean children. I mean the future I had attached to them.”
She looked at him.
“I kept paying storage because making a permanent decision felt impossible.”
“You don’t have to make one because someone frightened you.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
She almost smiled.
“You were supposed to give me brilliant advice.”
“My brilliant advice is not to let criminals schedule major emotional decisions.”
She laughed.
Then cried.
Adrien held her.
Across the city, Julian sat alone in his old marital home.
He had not slept there in months.
He came because the penthouse was surrounded by reporters.
Miranda had hated this house by the end.
Too large.
Too cold.
Too carefully designed.
He walked into the kitchen and remembered her standing by the island seven years earlier, holding a pregnancy test.
Negative.
Again.
He remembered saying he had a call in ten minutes.
He remembered her face.
God.
How many moments had he lost by being in a hurry?
His phone rang.
Nathan.
Julian answered.
“You have courage.”
Nathan’s voice sounded almost amused.
“Hello, little brother.”
“Do not call me that.”
“We’re too old for this.”
“You tried to destroy my company.”
“Our company.”
“Dad left control to me.”
“Because you manipulated him.”
“You were trying to sell it.”
“Because it was failing.”
“It isn’t failing now.”
Nathan laughed.
“Check the stock price.”
Julian’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Where is your wife?”
Silence.
Then Nathan said, “Why?”
“She threatened Miranda.”
“What?”
The confusion sounded real.
Julian hated that.
“Do not lie.”
“I’m not.”
“Celeste used Carver to target the fertility clinic.”
Nathan said nothing.
Then, quietly, “That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
“I never authorized that.”
“You authorized everything else?”
Silence.
There was the answer.
Julian’s voice became cold.
“You brought Victor into my company.”
“Yes.”
“You bribed Carver.”
“Yes.”
“You leaked documents.”
“Yes.”
“You tried to remove me.”
“Yes.”
Nathan’s honesty was almost more disturbing than denial.
“But I did not threaten Miranda.”
“Then your wife did.”
Nathan swore.
For the first time, Julian heard fear.
“Where is Celeste?”
“I don’t know.”
“Find her.”
The line disconnected.
Ten minutes later, Adrien’s security team received an alert.
Celeste Hayes had boarded a private aircraft in London.
Destination unknown.
May you like
Two hours later, the aircraft’s flight plan updated.
Boston.
