as dead silent for a long, agonizi

e through the speaker, tig

low, gravelly rasp that betrayed the absolute ex

d, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the digital silence between continents. "You should come back as soon

xactly what his son meant. The "she" Fleming was referring to was B

ening with absolute resolve. "I'm g

stly different from the biting, chaotic winds of New York. Outside, the snow-capped peaks of the Alps looked utterly serene and untouched in the muted, gray mo

eyes, the aristocratic slope of her jaw-she looked exactly like Danelle did in her early twenties. That was his true daughter. She had been out there in the world, raised in a completely different environment, growing

is tight lungs, and turned away from the serene mountain

m cashmere wrap, her dark hair elegantly pinned back. She was picking delicately at a plate

brow furrowing slightly as she used her silver fork

proach. "You barely spoke a word to Aurelia in the hospital room yesterday. She won't say it

ked across the plush, sound-absorbing c

ed a strange, terrifying weight on his broad shoulders. His eyes were heavily bloodshot, and his lips

hter, the maternal annoyance fading int

ude; it was better to just light the fuse and brace for the blast. He looked down at his wi

oice terrifyingly calm. "Fleming pulled the birth records

d to vanish instantly. "A DNA panel? For

said, the words falling like heavy, c

at

g off the rim of the fine china plate and clattering onto the marble fl

r flawless skin was the color of cold ash. She searched his dark eyes, desperately looking for

, and set it on the table. He knelt beside her chair, gr

dy did the DNA test. That girl... Beat

," Giles said, squeezing her fingers

words. "St. Jude Memorial is the best private hospital in the city! I was in the highest-tier VIP maternity suite!

ic. Fleming is already tearing through the hospital's historical records. We don't know yet if it was a catastrophic a