THE HEIR’S SHADOW

Elena took refuge in the shadows of the estate’s rose garden, shivering in the brisk autumn wind.

Through the study window, she saw Victoria standing over Richard’s desk, talking urgently on her cell phone. Victoria looked agitated, pacing back and forth, gesturing wildly.

Elena slipped back inside through the conservatory entrance, her breath misting in the cold air. But as she rounded the corner toward the service staircase, she ran directly into Richard.

He dropped his keys onto the runner rug with a heavy thud.

Elena froze, her phone burning like hot coals in her apron pocket. “Mr. Sterling. I… I was locking the garden doors.”

Richard looked down at her. His eyes were bloodshot, weary, and completely stripped of pride. He bent down to pick up his keys, his gaze lingering on Elena’s trembling hands.

“You look just like you did at the clinic,” Richard said quietly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Elena’s heart stopped. The air vanished from her lungs.

“You know, don’t you?” Richard asked softly.

Elena didn’t flinch. She squared her shoulders, looking the billionaire straight in the eye with an intensity that made him step back. “How could you do that to a mother?”

Richard slumped against the wood-paneled wall, looking utterly broken. “Victoria was desperate. The family trust required a male heir by the end of the fiscal year, or we lost everything to the board. When our surrogate failed, she made a deal with Campbell. I told her it was madness. I told her it was evil.”

“And yet you let her do it,” Elena spat, her voice trembling with cold rage.

“I’m sorry,” Richard whispered. “God help me, I am so sorry.”