Chapter 4 - The House of Cards
The countdown began. Nathan had seven days to find ninety million dollars, or the Caldwell empire would cease to exist.
Desperate men make catastrophic mistakes. Nathan, realizing he couldn't reach me, turned to the one person he thought could save him: his mother. But Evelyn Caldwell’s wealth was tied up in trusts that required dual signatures—hers and Nathan’s late father’s, which was now controlled by an independent bank board.
On the fourth day of the countdown, the tragedy Nathan had tried so hard to outrun finally caught up to him.
The sick baby in Malibu suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
The news reached me via Dr. Harrison, who still had contacts at the Beverly Hills hospital where the child was rushed. Despite the emergency procedures, the infant passed away in the early hours of the morning.
I sat in the dark nursery in Aspen, holding Leo tightly against my chest. He was warm, breathing softly, completely safe. A single tear slipped down my cheek for the baby who had died in my son's place—a child brought into the world by a greedy woman and a treacherous man, used as a pawn, and left to die.
"Your father thought he buried you, Leo," I whispered into his soft hair. "But you are going to inherit everything he ever dreamed of."
The next morning, my security team intercepted a frantic, unhinged conversation between Nathan and Vanessa outside the hospital morgue.
"We have to bury him secretly," Vanessa wept hysterically. "Nathan, if the death certificate is filed under your name, the press will find out! The divorce with Olivia isn't final! They’ll know we had a baby together!"
"Shut up, Vanessa! Just shut up!" Nathan snapped, his voice cracking with immense pressure. "The baby is gone. My son is gone. Do you understand what this means? The legacy... everything I did this for... it’s over."
"We can have another one—"
"With what money?!" Nathan screamed. "Olivia called in the Vance loans! I am four days away from bankruptcy! I sacrificed my marriage, my reputation, and my son for nothing!"
He still didn't get it. He still thought the universe was punishing him by taking my son. He had no idea the cosmic joke was far, far crueler.
Nathan returned to the Bel Air mansion, broken and desperate. He called a private meeting with Evelyn, attempting to liquidate the family's art collection and private jets to cover the ninety million dollar debt.
That was when I decided to return to Los Angeles.
I arrived at the Caldwell mansion unannounced. The grand double doors opened, and the butler, loyal to me for years, gave a respectful nod. "Welcome home, Mrs. Caldwell."
I walked into the grand parlor. Nathan and Evelyn were surrounded by financial ledgers, looking like ghosts. When Nathan looked up and saw me, his eyes flashed with a mixture of rage and desperate hope.
"Olivia!" He lunged forward, trying to grab my hands. I stepped back, letting my security guard step between us. "Olivia, please. You have to stop this Vance Holdings madness. The board is taking everything. Why are you doing this? Is it because of the Aspen house? We can renegotiate!"
Evelyn stood up, her diamonds rattling. "Olivia, stop this childish tantrum! Look at your husband! He is under immense stress! And how is that sickly child of yours? Has it finally succumbed to its illness?"
I looked at Evelyn, then at Nathan. I smiled, a slow, radiant, terrifying smile.
"The child is doing wonderfully, Evelyn," I said smoothly. "In fact, he has never been healthier."
Nathan frowned. "What are you talking about? The doctors said—"
"The doctors said Vanessa’s child would die, Nathan," I interrupted, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "And they were right. He died yesterday morning, didn't he?"
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Nathan froze. The color completely drained from his face. "How... how do you know about Vanessa’s baby?"
"Because," I said, taking a seat on the velvet sofa, crossing my legs elegantly, "I was standing in the hallway three weeks ago when you injected the nurse with a sedative and swapped the babies."
