Novels by Iris Vane

Chapter Twenty-EightPriscilla’s POVThe twins had always been unusually observant for five-year-olds, but the past week had turned their sharp little minds into something that terrified me. Logan had grown quieter, spending long stretches staring out the window with his soccer ball forgotten at his feet. Lily, who is usually bubbly and full of questions about flowers and stories, had started having nightmares…waking up crying about “the angry lady with white hair” and “the painting man who looks like Logan.”I sat on the edge of Lily’s bed at 3 a.m., stroking her chestnut curls as she clutched her favorite stuffed dragon. “Mommy, why does everyone at school say we have two daddies now?”The question pierced me. I pulled her closer, breathing in her baby-shampoo scent. “Sweetheart, grown-ups sometimes say silly things when they don’t understand. You have me, and you have Uncle Darius who loves you very much.”“But the painting man…” she whispered, her small voice trembling. “He has th

Chapter Twenty-SevenPriscilla’s POVThe botanical garden cafe was a neutral ground…public enough to feel safe, and quiet enough for a real conversation. I arrived fifteen minutes early, with my silk blouse tucked into my tailored black pants, and my hair pinned back in a professional twist. Darius had offered to come, but I refused. This was something I needed to face alone.I chose a corner table overlooking the rose beds. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling as I ordered tea. Five years. Five years of rebuilding, and one meeting threatened to unravel everything.Creighton arrived exactly at 2 PM. He looked different from the cold executive I remembered…no designer suit today. He was putting on dark jeans, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up, and revealing the athletic forearms from his everyday routine. His eyes found me immediately, and the faint dimple appeared when he offered a tentative, and hopeful smile.“Priscilla,” he said softly, taking the seat across from me. “Thank you f

Chapter Twenty-SixPriscilla’s POV3 days later….The private investigator’s office was quiet except for the sound of rain tapping against the windows. I sat across from Marcus Reed, Creighton’s former auditor, and my lawyer, Victoria. Three days had passed since the fake DNA leak, but the damage was still spreading. Every day seemed to bring a new crisis.Victoria placed a thick folder on the table and pushed it toward me.“We've traced the counterfeit production and the warehouse tampering,” she said. “And Chloe is not acting alone. The Harrington family is involved too.”My stomach dropped as I looked down at the documents. Somehow, things were even worse than I had imagined.I opened the folder with steady hands that betrayed none of the storm inside me. Photos, bank transfers, and shipping manifests. Chloe’s uncle had used offshore accounts to fund a small manufacturing plant in Malaysia producing the fake Pree’s products. Another cousin had connections to the distributors who su

Chapter Twenty-FivePriscilla’s POVThe fake DNA report leaked at 9:47 a.m. on a Thursday.I was in the middle of a video call with our European distributor when Elena burst into my office without knocking, her face was pale. She slid her tablet across the desk. The headline screamed in bold letters: “Shocking DNA Evidence Exposes Entrepreneur Priscilla Marlow’s Five-Year Deception – Twins Not Creighton Cross’s Heirs.”My blood ran cold. The attached “report” looked professional—official-looking letterhead, percentages, and a conclusion claiming 0% probability of paternity. Chloe’s interview clip was embedded, her tears perfectly timed as she claimed she was “heartbroken for Creighton” and had only wanted to protect him from my “greed.”The distributor on the screen cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ms. Marlow, perhaps we should reschedule…”I ended the call with a quiet apology and let the phone slip from my hand. For a moment, I just sat there, staring at the screen, trying to process

Chapter Twenty-Four Priscilla’s POV The warehouse alarm went off at 2:17 a.m. I was already awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to quiet my thoughts, when my phone rang. It was one of the night security guards. His voice was unsteady as he explained what had happened. Someone had broken through the perimeter fence and made it all the way to the main storage area before the motion sensors triggered the alarm and scared them off. Nothing had been taken, but that wasn't what worried me. Several pallets of our best-selling serum had been messed with. Some of the caps had been loosened, and there was an unfamiliar residue around a few of the seals. A knot formed in my stomach as I listened. Whoever had been there hadn't come to steal. They had come to send a message. “Police are on their way,” the guard said. “But ma’am… this doesn’t look random.” I dressed in record time, throwing on jeans and a hoodie, and drove through the rainy Seattle streets with Darius beside me. He had ins

Chapter Twenty-Three Priscilla’s POV The emergency board meeting lasted until late in the evening. I stood at the head of the conference table, my emerald silk blouse slightly wrinkled from the long day, as my leadership team stared at the latest report projected on the screen. Red numbers dominated the slide, then another 12% drop in orders from key West Coast partners. “Counterfeit products,” my head of operations said grimly, clicking to the next image. Fake Pree’s jars had appeared in three discount stores and two online marketplaces. The packaging was close enough to fool casual buyers, but the formulas inside were cheap, and chemically unstable knockoffs. One customer had already posted a severe skin reaction video that was gaining traction. “This is coordinated,” I said, voice steady even as anger simmered under me. “Chloe’s family has connections in manufacturing overseas. Cross Industries’ logistics could be facilitating distribution without direct fingerprints.” E