Chapter 4 - The Frozen Legacy
The silence in the study was deafening. Outside, the rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the estate, mirroring the storm breaking inside Tyler’s mind.
"An embryo..." Tyler whispered, his hands clutching his head.
Suddenly, memory flooded back—dark, buried memories from five years ago. Before Clara’s fatal car accident, when they were struggling to conceive Harper, they had undergone two rounds of IVF at an elite reproductive institute in downtown Chicago. They had successfully harvested eight viable embryos. When Harper was born naturally shortly after, Tyler had assumed the remaining frozen embryos were safely stored or destroyed per their instructions after Clara’s death.
He had completely forgotten about them. Or rather, he had trusted his legal team to handle the termination of the storage contract.
"Marcus," Tyler snapped, his voice sharp as a razor. "Who managed Clara's medical directives and estate trusts after her accident?"
"Your former corporate attorney and board secretary," Marcus replied instantly. "Julian Sterling. And Julian sits on the executive board of Pendelton Holdings."
"Sterling," Tyler spat.
Julian Sterling had been Tyler's closest advisor for a decade—and Clara's personal lawyer.
"Maya," Tyler said, turning back to the frail woman sitting in his armchair. "Tell me everything. How did you escape Zurich? And why were you on the streets of Chicago?"
Maya wiped her face with the sleeve of the warm robe. "When Lily was born in that private facility, a doctor came into my room. He didn't know I was awake. I heard him on the phone with a man he called 'Mr. Sterling.' Sterling told him that once the baby was born healthy, I was to suffer a 'fatal complication' during postpartum recovery, and the infant was to be delivered to an undisclosed buyer."
Tyler’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.
"I panicked," Maya continued, her voice trembling. "A night nurse took pity on me. She knew what they were doing was evil. She unlocked the service exit, gave me five hundred dollars in cash, and got me onto a cargo flight out of Switzerland. I came to Chicago because... because my mother always told me that if anything ever happened to me, I should find Tyler Reed. She said Tyler was an honorable man who loved Clara more than life itself."
"Why didn't you come straight to my office?" Tyler asked. "Why were you hiding on the curb outside Antonio's?"
"Because the moment I landed in Chicago two weeks ago, men in black SUVs started following me," Maya said. "My money ran out. I couldn't go to the police—I didn't know who was paying them. Every door was shut in my face. I was starving, Mr. Reed. My milk dried up from malnutrition. Lily was fading away in my arms. I sat outside that restaurant today because I couldn't walk another step."
Tyler looked down at Maya. She was Clara's flesh and blood. She had carried his and Clara's child through hell, survived an international syndicate, and dragged herself across the globe just to protect a baby that belonged to him.
And his own seven-year-old daughter, guided by pure instinct and love, had crossed a busy street to steal a loaf of bread and pull her into their lives.
Tyler walked over to Maya, knelt down before her, and took her cold, shaking hands in his.
"You are safe now, Maya," Tyler swore, his eyes burning with absolute determination. "You and Lily. No one will ever touch you again. I promise you on Clara's memory."
"Daddy?"
Tyler turned around. Harper was standing at the entrance of the study, holding a plush teddy bear, her small eyes heavy with sleepiness but filled with innocent concern.
"Is the baby going to stay with us?" Harper asked gently.
Tyler stood up, walked over to his daughter, and scooped her up into a tight hug. "Yes, sweetie. The baby and her mommy are staying with us forever."
Harper smiled, burying her face in Tyler's shoulder. "I knew stealing that bread was the right thing to do."
May you like
Tyler chuckled softly, though his mind was already calculating his next moves. "It was, Harper. But next time, let's just buy the bakery."
As Tyler comforted his daughter, Marcus stepped closer and whispered in his ear. "Tyler, we have a problem. Julian Sterling just filed an urgent motion in district court representing an anonymous client, claiming you have illegally harbored a kidnapped child. The police are on their way to this house right now with a custody warrant."
