Chapter 4 - My Brother Walked Into the Hospital
Dominic arrived at 2:13 in the morning.
He walked into the pediatric wing wearing a charcoal suit and the expression of a concerned uncle.
“Gabriel.”
I stood outside Caleb’s room.
Dominic opened his arms.
“I heard about Caleb.”
I didn’t move.
His arms lowered.
“What happened?”
“You tell me.”
He glanced at Emma.
For the first time, his composure slipped.
“Emma.”
She stared at him.
“Dominic.”
He recovered quickly.
“I didn’t realize you worked here.”
“You knew exactly where I worked.”
He smiled faintly.
“You always did enjoy accusing people.”
I stepped between them.
“Maria Jensen.”
The smile vanished.
“What about her?”
“She was caught at Logan.”
“Who?”
“Don’t insult me.”
Dominic looked toward Caleb.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The company that paid her belongs to you.”
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves enough.”
Emma spoke.
“Why did you tell me Gabriel wanted me out of Boston?”
Dominic looked at her.
“I was protecting you.”
“From whom?”
He glanced at me.
“From him.”
I almost laughed.
Emma didn’t.
“You told Gabriel I betrayed him.”
“No. Evidence suggested you betrayed him.”
“Evidence you controlled.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
I stepped closer.
“And Caleb?”
He looked at me.
“What about him?”
“The embryo.”
Silence.
That was the moment I knew.
Emma knew too.
Her voice shook.
“You knew.”
Dominic’s expression changed.
Not guilt.
Calculation.
“Gabriel, we should discuss this privately.”
“No.”
“This involves family matters.”
“Emma is family if what I think happened is true.”
He looked at her.
Something ugly flickered behind his eyes.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The weakness.”
My hands curled.
Dominic continued.
“You always had one.”
“Careful.”
“You built everything Father wanted, Gabriel. Then she appeared and suddenly you wanted legitimacy. Marriage. Children. A clean life.”
Emma stared at him.
“So you destroyed us?”
“I protected the Vale organization.”
“By stealing our embryo?” I asked.
His eyes shifted.
Emma whispered, “Oh my God.”
Dominic sighed.
“The embryo was never supposed to become a problem.”
“Caleb is not a problem.”
“I know.”
“Then explain.”
He looked at me.
“You wanted a child. Years later, when you decided to pursue surrogacy, the clinic records were available. The embryo was viable.”
“You used it without telling me?”
“You signed enough documents.”
Emma stepped forward.
“I didn’t.”
Dominic looked at her coldly.
“No. You didn’t.”
I grabbed the front of his jacket.
“Gabriel!” Emma snapped.
I stopped.
Dominic smiled.
“There he is.”
I released him.
“You forged her consent.”
“I solved a problem.”
“You stole from her.”
“I gave you a son.”
Emma looked like she had been struck.
“You gave him my child.”
Dominic’s face remained emotionless.
“Biology does not automatically make you his mother.”
The words were cruel.
Emma took a step backward.
I moved between them.
“Get out.”
Dominic looked at me.
“You’re making another emotional decision.”
“My son nearly died.”
“And you think I ordered that?”
“The money came from your company.”
“My companies move millions every day.”
“You expect me to believe someone used your money without your knowledge?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
He didn’t answer.
That told me there was another layer.
I leaned closer.
“Who, Dominic?”
For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
Then his phone vibrated.
He checked it.
Whatever he saw made his face tighten.
Marcus appeared at the end of the corridor.
“Gabriel.”
Dominic turned.
Marcus held up his phone.
“We found the person who accessed Dominic’s shell company.”
Dominic’s expression changed again.
“Who?”
Marcus looked directly at him.
“Your wife.”
Silence.
Dominic stared.
“Victoria?”
Marcus nodded.
Emma looked between us.
“Why would Dominic’s wife poison Caleb?”
I already knew the answer.
Because succession mattered in families like mine.
Dominic had no children.
For years, he had assumed that if something happened to me, everything would eventually become his.
Then Caleb was born.
My son hadn’t simply become my heir.
He had replaced Dominic.
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And apparently, someone had decided a six-month-old baby was standing in the way of an empire.
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