CHAPTER 3: Whispers Behind Closed Doors
By sunrise, the story had caught fire across the city's tabloids. Headlines blared: *“Billionaire Maestro Julian Vance: Secret Heir Discovered at Charity Auction.”* But inside the Vance ancestral estate, the reaction was far more venomous than public curiosity.
Arthur Vance, Julian’s estranged father and the patriarch of Vance Enterprises, strode into the breakfast room unannounced, his cane striking the parquet floor with aggressive precision.
“You’ve made a spectacle of yourself, Julian,” Arthur barked, tossing a newspaper onto the mahogany table. “Bringing a stray child into this home is bad enough. Claiming she is the bastard daughter of that cabaret pianist is corporate suicide. The board is already questioning your stability.”
Julian stood up slowly, stepping between his father and the hallway where Lily was quietly sleeping. “Her name is Lily. She is my daughter, and Clara was the love of my life before you orchestrated the smear campaign that drove her away.”
Arthur’s eyes narrowed into cold slits. “You have no legal proof. A simple tune doesn’t hold up in probate court. If you try to grant her access to the Vance trust, I will initiate conservatorship proceedings against you.”
“Try it,” Julian said, his voice deadly calm. “I walked away from your empire once to make music. I will burn every cent of your legacy to the ground before I let you turn Lily away.”
May you like
Arthur sneered, turning on his heel, but his parting words were a chilling warning: “A girl who cannot walk will never carry this family name.”
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