Chapter 18
Inside Claire Whitmore’s office, a private investigator placed a thick report gently onto her desk.
Stamped on the folder were the words Background Investigation: Sophie Lane, with a red seal labeled Confidential.
Claire opened the cover, her fingertips gliding over the neatly printed text and photos. The more she read, the colder her eyes
became.
Sophie Lane had no blood relation to the Whitmore family, nor was she the illegitimate daughter of any tycoon.
She was merely the casual fling of an administrative clerk from a Whitmore Group subsidiary. The two had hooked up during a company event and maintained a murky relationship ever since.
That so–called photo with Henry Collins? It was nothing more than her deliberately sidling up to him during a subsidiary’s annual dinner, taking advantage of a toast to sneak into the frame. In the picture, Henry was actually looking down, speaking to someone else, completely unaware of her presence.
“She even forged a prenatal test report,” the investigator added with a note of disdain. “We found her medical records from a private hospital three months ago–she was indeed pregnant then. But the DNA test proved the child’s father wasn’t Daniel Reed. The real father was that same administrative clerk boyfriend. He quit and fled once he found out about the pregnancy, afraid of being dragged into it.”
Attached to the report were screenshots of her chat history with the ex–boyfriend, blatantly showing messages like: ‘Keep Daniel hooked until we get the Whitmore money, then we disappear.‘ and ‘That idiot Daniel will never figure out the baby isn’t his.‘
No wonder Sophie always dodged questions about her ties to the Whitmore family. No wonder she never introduced Daniel to her so–called “relatives.” From start to finish, it had been a meticulously crafted con.”
And Daniel–so pathetically gullible–had fallen for such a shoddy lie. He had hurt Claire and their child time and time again, all for this false “Whitmore son–in–law” status.
“Make two copies of this report,” Claire said as she closed the folder, her voice calm and measured. “One goes to Legal as evidence for fraud charges against Sophie Lane. The other…” She paused, a glint of ice in her eyes. “We’ll save it for Daniel and Sophie’s wedding day. Let’s give them a special surprise.”
After the investigator left, Ethan Cole stepped inside. Seeing the report in her hands, he immediately understood.
“You’ve got the full picture?” he asked, gently kneading her shoulder. “Don’t waste your energy being angry at people like
them.”
Leaning back in her chair, Claire gazed out at the sky beyond the window.
“I’m not angry–just amused. Daniel is so desperate to climb the social ladder that he’d rather believe a con artist. He still thinks Sophie’s carrying his child, still thinks he’s about to become part of the Whitmore family.”
She remembered the last time Daniel barged into her office, shouting that she should curry favor with him, accusing her of sleeping her way to the top. The memory was equal parts absurd and pitiful.
This man had been blinded by his own greed, losing even the most basic ability to judge reality.
“On the day of the press conference, the truth will make him wake up for good,” she said quietly.”
Ethan flipped through a few pages of the report, his gaze turning sharp. “Sophie Lane’s guilty of identity fraud and swindling- that alone will ruin her. As for Daniel… the price he’ll pay for this scam will be far higher than he realizes.”
Claire nodded, drumming her fingers lightly on the desk.
She would make sure this farce ended on the grandest stage possible.N
Not only would she reclaim everything that was rightfully hers–every person who had hurt her would pay the price they deserved.[
Meanwhile, Daniel Reed was standing before a mirror, practicing his wedding vows.
Sophie Lane nestled against him, one hand on her belly, her voice syrupy and coaxing. “Danny, once we’re married, I’ll take you to meet my dad. He’ll set you up with a vice president position.”
Daniel beamed, grinning from ear to ear–completely unaware that Sophie was lying through her teeth.
