The moment the nurse carried my newborn into recovery, my mother recoiled. “We will never acknowledge a fatherless child,” she said. My father folded his arms. “And we will never hold that baby.”

We had kept our relationship secret because the investigation was confidential—and because I wanted one part of my life untouched by the Mercer family name.

My mother looked at me in disbelief. “You expect us to believe you’re with him?”

Elias picked up the folder she had brought, reviewed the share-transfer contract, and passed it to one of his lawyers.

“Coercive timing, predatory valuation, no independent counsel,” the attorney said. “Useful.”

My father’s tone became sharper. “Claire, tell him this is being exaggerated.”