Harper Reed was supposed to be waiting quietly outside the tailoring shop.

The red and blue emergency lights flashed across the long, tree-lined driveway of the Lake Forest estate, casting stark, eerie shadows through the tall glass windows of the mansion.

Three Chicago Police Department squad cars pulled up, followed by a dark sleek sedan carrying Julian Sterling—Tyler’s long-time corporate attorney turned betrayer—and two representatives from Child Protective Services.

Tyler stood on the expansive front porch, his dark navy coat unbuttoned, his arms crossed over his chest. Beside him stood Marcus and a team of four security guards.

Julian Sterling stepped out of the sedan, buttoning his tailored jacket. He carried a leather briefcase and an air of smooth, untouchable confidence.

"Tyler," Sterling said, stepping up the stone stairs. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. But I'm acting on behalf of the state and a protected private trust. We have a report that a homeless woman illegally entered your premises with a child that is subject to a legal wardship."

Tyler didn't move an inch. "Julian. You brought police to my front door."

"I had to, Tyler," Sterling smiled thinly, though his eyes were cold. "The mother, Maya Vance, is mentally unstable and wanted for breach of contract and child endangerment in Switzerland. She absconded with a baby that belongs to an international surrogate program. I suggest you turn the woman and the infant over immediately to avoid being named as an accessory to kidnapping."

"Is that so?" Tyler said calmly. He signaled to Marcus, who handed him a leather file folder.

Tyler tossed the folder onto the hood of Sterling’s car.

"What's this?" Sterling frowned.

"That," Tyler said, his voice deadly quiet, "is a certified emergency paternity declaration filed an hour ago with the Cook County Family Court, accompanied by an expedited DNA panel from an accredited lab. Little Lily is my biological daughter, Sterling."

Sterling’s confident facade cracked for a fraction of a second. "That... that's irrelevant. The biological material was property of—"

"Property?" Tyler stepped forward, looming over the attorney. "You treated my dead wife’s genetic material as property? You stole frozen embryos from a medical vault, implanted them into her secret twin sister, held her captive in a Zurich facility, and planned to sell my child to the highest bidder!"

The two police officers behind Sterling exchanged startled, uncomfortable looks.

"Mr. Reed," one of the officers stepped up. "We have a court order here signed by Judge Vance requiring us to secure the infant."

"Judge Vance?" Tyler laughed coldly. "Judge Vance is Arthur Pendelton’s brother-in-law. Marcus, show the officers the injunction."

Marcus handed a tablet to the lead officer. "This is an emergency stay issued thirty minutes ago by the Chief District Judge of Northern Illinois, placing both Maya Vance and Lily under protective federal custody right here on this property, pending a full federal investigation into human trafficking and corporate fraud."

The lead officer scanned the digital order, his eyebrows rising. He looked up at Sterling with clear disdain. "Order's legit, counsel. Federal stay trumps county warrant. We're standing down."

Sterling’s face turned pale, then flushed with rage. "You think you've won this, Tyler? You have no idea how deep this goes. You have no idea what Clara was hiding from you!"

Tyler stepped right up to Sterling, grabbing the lawyer by his lapels and yanked him close, staring into his eyes. "Tell me what Clara was hiding, Julian. Or I promise you, by tomorrow morning, every financial asset you hold in every offshore account from Grand Cayman to Zurich will be frozen by federal marshals."

Sterling swallowed hard, sweating despite the chilly autumn air. "Clara didn't die in an accident, Tyler," Sterling whispered venomously. "She was trying to expose Pendelton’s shadow network. She found out Pendelton was running an illegal genetic registry for elite buyers. She was killed because she threatened to bring down the whole board! And if you keep digging, Tyler... you and your daughter will end up at the bottom of the same river!"

Tyler stared at Sterling, his blood running cold, as the truth finally clicked into place.