CHAPTER 9 â THE BABY THEY WANTED BEFORE BIRTH
The message remained on the screen.
White letters.
Black background.
A sentence that made every person in the ballroom forget how to breathe.
"THE TRUE OWNER OF PROJECT ECLIPSE WILL BE BORN TONIGHT."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Because suddenly...
The missing ring.
The fake accusation.
The wedding trap.
The stolen documents.
Everything seemed small compared to the truth now standing in front of them.
They were not trying to take Emily's money.
They were not trying to control her company.
They were not even trying to control Project Eclipse.
They were waiting for something else.
Her child.
Emily stood frozen in the center of the ballroom.
One hand rested protectively over her pregnant stomach.
The other trembled at her side.
"No."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"No, this isn't happening."
Daniel immediately stepped toward her.
"Emily..."
She looked at him.
And the pain in her eyes stopped him.
"Don't."
The word was quiet.
But it carried more power than a scream.
"Don't come near me."
Daniel stopped.
Because he knew.
He had lost the right to comfort her.
"You knew."
Emily stared at him.
"You knew they were interested in my baby."
Daniel looked down.
A second of silence.
A second too long.
Emily's face changed.
That was her answer.
"You knew."
Her voice broke.
"And you still married me."
Daniel swallowed.
"I didn't know why."
Emily laughed bitterly.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No."
Daniel shook his head.
"It isn't."
For the first time that night...
Daniel Whitmore looked exactly what he was.
A man who had finally realized he had destroyed the one person he truly loved.
"I was told the marriage was about the inheritance."
He looked at her.
"I was told if I got close to you, I could convince you to sign the transfer documents."
Emily's eyes filled with anger.
"And you agreed."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Yes."
The honesty hurt more than another lie.
"Why?"
Daniel had no excuse.
No defense.
Only the truth.
"Because I spent my entire life trying to become the son my father wanted."
He looked toward Richard.
"And I thought obeying him was the price of being loved."
Richard's expression didn't change.
"Don't make this emotional, Daniel."
Daniel turned.
And something inside him finally broke.
"That's all you ever did."
A pause.
"You turned everything into a transaction."
Richard smiled coldly.
"And yet you still benefited from it."
Daniel looked away.
Because that was also true.
The room remained divided.
Some people still saw Daniel as a traitor.
Others saw him as another victim of a powerful family.
But Emily...
Emily saw something else.
She saw a man who had betrayed her.
Even if he regretted it.
Even if he suffered.
The damage was already done.
Then Catherine's voice returned.
"Emily, listen carefully."
The screen changed.
A medical file appeared.
PROJECT ECLIPSE â GENETIC SUCCESSION PROGRAM
Emily stared.
"What is that?"
Nobody answered.
Then Thomas stepped forward.
His voice was filled with guilt.
"It means your grandmother planned for this."
Emily looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Evelyn knew powerful people would try to steal Project Eclipse."
He pointed at the file.
"So she created a final protection."
Emily's eyes moved across the screen.
"A biological successor."
The words felt unreal.
"My baby?"
Thomas nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Emily stepped back.
"No."
Her voice became stronger.
"No. My child is not a backup plan."
Nobody argued.
Because she was right.
Richard stepped forward.
"You misunderstand."
Emily looked at him with disgust.
"I understand perfectly."
A pause.
"You don't see my baby as a person."
Her eyes became cold.
"You see a key."
Richard didn't deny it.
And that was the most terrifying answer.
Emily turned away.
Then she noticed something.
The entire time...
Someone had been missing.
Her eyes scanned the ballroom.
"Where is Margaret?"
Everyone looked around.
The woman who had started the accusation.
The woman who had tried to destroy her reputation.
The woman who knew more secrets than anyone.
She was gone.
Daniel's face changed.
"No."
Emily looked at him.
"What?"
Daniel immediately moved toward the exit.
"She wouldn't."
Security blocked the doors.
"Nobody leaves."
Daniel turned.
"Open them."
The security chief shook his head.
"The system is locked."
Then...
A phone began ringing.
Everyone looked.
It was Margaret's phone.
But Margaret wasn't there.
Daniel picked it up.
A message appeared.
"You all believed I was the enemy."
A second message.
"That was the mistake."
A third.
"The child is not the key."
Everyone froze.
Then the final message appeared.
"The mother is."
Emily felt a chill.
"What does that mean?"
Thomas looked terrified.
"No..."
Emily turned toward him.
"What?"
Thomas stared at the message.
"Your grandmother never made the child the successor."
A pause.
"She made you the final protection."
Emily frowned.
"But Richard saidâ"
"Richard lies."
Thomas looked at her.
"Everyone does."
The screen changed again.
A hidden recording began playing.
Evelyn Carter appeared.
Older.
Weak.
But clear-minded.
Emily immediately recognized her grandmother.
"My dear Emily..."
Tears filled her eyes.
"If you are watching this, it means they have finally forced you into the center of this war."
The recording continued.
"I need you to understand something."
A pause.
"Project Eclipse was never designed to be inherited."
Emily leaned closer.
"It was designed to be destroyed if the wrong person tried to control it."
Richard's expression changed.
"No..."
Evelyn continued:
"The only person who can decide the future of Project Eclipse..."
She looked directly into the camera.
"Is the woman who has the courage to walk away from it."
Emily froze.
Her grandmother had not chosen her because of her blood.
She had chosen her because of her character.
Then Evelyn said the final words.
"And if they ever threaten your child..."
A pause.
"Burn everything."
The recording ended.
Silence.
For the first time that night...
Emily understood.
She was not trapped.
She was not powerless.
Everyone had been fighting over what she owned.
But they forgot one thing.
The most powerful person in the room...
Was the woman they thought they had broken.
Emily slowly turned toward Richard.
"You made one mistake."
Richard stared.
"What?"
She looked at Daniel.
Then Thomas.
Then the entire ballroom.
"You thought I wanted this power."
A pause.
"I don't."
Her voice became stronger.
"But I will use it to destroy anyone who tries to hurt my child."
The lights suddenly flickered.
A security alarm began screaming.
The ballroom doors opened.
A man in a dark suit rushed inside.
"Mrs. Carter!"
Everyone turned.
The man's face was terrified.
"Your private hospital security team just reported something."
Emily's blood ran cold.
"What?"
He looked at her stomach.
Then at Daniel.
"Someone attempted to access your unborn child's medical records."
Silence.
"Who?"
The man hesitated.
Then answered:
"The request came from inside your own family."
Emily froze.
Because the person who tried to access her baby's information...
May you like
Was someone standing in that ballroom.
Someone she trusted.
