Lahat ng Kabanata ng Claimed By My Ex’s Father: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Finn’s POVThe heavy steel chains around my ankles rattled with metallic clang against the marble floor of the lobby. The armed federal officers on either side of me kept their hands firmly on their sidearms, their faces rigid and unyielding as they escorted me toward the private executive elevator.I saw my reflection in the mirrored panels of the elevator, and I felt humiliated. The neon-orange jumpsuit was gone, replaced by a wrinkled grey suit the prison administration kept for court appearances, but nothing could mask the absolute ruin of my appearance. My face was pale and hollow, my hair unkempt, and my hazel eyes bloodshot from two weeks of sleeping on a hard surface.Yet, deep within my chest, a desperate, delusional spark of my former arrogance was trying to find its way back to the surface.Cassie is pregnant. The thought had been my only salvation during the dark, freezing nights in my cell. A baby. A true, legitimate grandchild to the Hartley estate. My father was a man o

Finn’s POVThe boardroom felt like it was spinning, until I could barely draw a single breath of air into my lungs. My chest was pounding, I panicked as I looked at the projection screen, the image of Cassie’s betrayal burned. My entire universe, every single lie I had told myself to survive the cold iron bars of my cell, had been vaporized in a second by the woman I used to treat like an optional accessory."Father..." I gasped out, turning my face toward the head of the table, my voice breaking entirely as tears of humiliation rolled down my cheeks. I violently rattled my handcuffs, trying to reach out toward the patriarch who had built the ground I walked on. "Father, please... you have to listen to me! I didn't know! I swear to God I didn't know she was sleeping with Sterling! I was stupid, I was manipulated... but I’m still your son! I’m still Hartley! You can't let Sloane do this to our family! We are the same blood!"My maternal uncles stood up behind me, their faces twisted

Sloane's POVThe complete deletion of Finn and Cassie from the Hartley grid left a vacuum in the high-society circle. By Tuesday morning, the rumors had solidified into absolute panic. The news that Finn was not Knox’s biological son hadn't been leaked to the press. I chose to hold that weapon back for strategic leverage, but the sudden, violent liquidation of his maternal family’s forty percent equity sent shockwaves through the financial district.I sat at the desk in the penthouse suite, dressed in a sharp, charcoal-grey pinstripe power suit that made me look entirely lethal. My bold lipstick was a stark contrast to the sterile, digital light of the monitors surrounding me. On my left hand, the Hartley diamond ring caught the sun, flashing with a cold, triumphant intensity.The private line on my terminal buzzed, a secure video feed flashing onto the center screen. It was Victoria Vance, Cassie’s aunt and the matriarch of the Vance real estate conglomerate, one of the oldest old-

Sloane's POVThe data streams on my master terminal were beautiful in their complexity. For forty-eight hours, my automated tracking software had been monitoring the encrypted communications between Sterling Logistics, Victoria Vance, and the remaining dissident board members. They thought they were operating in a dark corner, completely blind to the fact that every single cell tower ping and digital document transfer was being audited directly by my terminal.I tapped the screen, bringing up the digital copy of the antitrust declaration Finn had signed from his prison cell."They are incredibly predictable," I murmured, a cold, elegant chuckle escaping my lips as I adjusted the collar of my black silk designer gown. Tonight was the annual Hartley Global Gala, the most exclusive high-society event of the year, and the penthouse suite was filled with the quiet, tense energy of a war room before the first strike.Knox walked up behind me, his towering frame wrapped in a bespoke black v

Sloane's POVThe grand ballroom was a sea of glittering diamonds, tailored tuxedos, and fake smiles that covered the profound terror gripping the elite circle. As Knox and I walked toward the primary executive table, the crowd parted like a retreating wave, their postures rigid, their eyes dropping immediately to the floor when my sharp eyes swept across their divisions.Richard Sterling didn't wait for the formal dinner to begin. Backed by Victoria Vance and four senior regulatory analysts, he walked straight to the center podium, tapping the microphone to silence the remaining murmurs in the room."Ladies and gentlemen, members of the board," Sterling announced, his voice booming through the speaker system as he raised the manila folder into the light. "Before we celebrate another year of Hartley Global’s monopoly, we must address a catastrophic compliance violation. I have in my hand a certified asset declaration signed by the former Vice President, Finn Hartley. This document co