"She has been meeting with this man quite a few times over the past couple of months," Skyler informed. "I had someone follow that man to see what Claudia might be plotting now. But what we uncovered was far more shocking than I expected."
Theodore flipped the page and saw a DNA test report. He was impressed to see that Skyler had already run the paternity test. The results were clear: the man was Claudia’s biological father.
Theodore returned to the first page, studying the photos again. A deep frown creased his forehead as he looked over the man’s image in greater detail.
The man didn’t look in good shape. His graying hair was rough and brittle, as though he hadn’t seen a comb in weeks. His faded, worn-thin, and rumpled clothes gave the impression of someone who had been struggling, living in poverty.
Theodore shook his head in dismay. While Claudia lived a life of luxury, her father was barely scraping by. But where had he been all these years?
"Why didn’t we know about him sooner?" Theodore asked, intrigued. "Where has he been hiding all this time?"
Skyler shrugged, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "We’re still digging, but it’s confirmed he has been living abroad until recently. The reason for his return is unclear... although, from what we’ve gathered, it could be financial. Seems he might’ve hit rock bottom and come back to Claudia, looking for money."
Theodore’s brow furrowed further, absorbing this new information. But Skyler wasn’t finished.
"But this is not the only thing," Skyler added, his expression growing somber. "There is more to this story."
Theodore closed the folder, turning his attention fully to Skyler.
"Just the other day, Claudia met with him again, this time in a small restaurant on the city outskirts," Skyler explained in a hushed tone. "Our informant managed to get close, posing as a waiter. He served them drinks and installed a tiny transmitter under their table sneakily. Our team was listening in real-time from a van parked outside."
Skyler reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "They sent me the recording," he said, placing it on the table and pressing play.
Theodore’s eyebrows shot up as he listened to the recording.
"I paid you two million last week. Where did you spend it?" Claudia’s voice sounded loud and crisp. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"I lost it in gambling," the man replied.
"You lost two million in gambling!" Claudia hissed. I’ve been covering your expenses for years. I bought you a house, even set you up with a factory abroad, and you still lost it all. Now you want more money? You’ll get nothing from me."
"I am your father and am getting old." The man’s tone shifted, becoming pleading. "No one will hire me. I have no place left to go. You have a mansion... take me in."
"In your dreams," Claudia snapped coldly. "You lost everything with your own terrible choices. Your gambling addiction took away everything I gave you and left you on the streets. And even now, you haven’t learned. I’m not taking you in. Don’t push me any further... or I’ll pretend I never had a father."
Claudia rose to her feet and turned to leave.
"Wait!" the man snarled, his tone turning suddenly colder, more menacing. "If you don’t help me, Claudia, I’ll expose everything."
"Wait!" turning cold all of a sudden. "If you don’t help me, I’ll expose you." After a moment of pause, he continued, "I’ll tell the world that you had two children before your marriage into the Reid family—Franklin and Gina—with that so-called cousin of yours, Keith."
"Shut up!" Claudia snapped, trembling with barely controlled anger.
"Why? Are you afraid now? If you don’t give me what I’m asking for, I’ll call Theodore myself and tell him the truth: that Franklin and Gina are actually your children with Keith. That you faked Franklin’s paternity test results."
"What?" Theodore exclaimed, utterly bewildered. He had never thought that Gina was also Claudia’s daughter. "Gina and Franklin are siblings!"
Skyler gave a solemn nod, pausing the recording. "Yes. This is the secret Claudia has been hiding for all these years. Her affairs with Keith, the kids she had with him, and then married into the Reids, faking the DNA test result."
Theodore’s jaw tightened, memories from the night of his accident flashing through his mind. He had received a phone call from the hospital that night, informing him that Franklin wasn’t blood-related to the Reids. But the records had mysteriously vanished, swept away with disturbing efficiency while he was in a coma. Now, after all this time, the truth had emerged from the shadows.
Theodore realized why Claudia was so fond of Gina. His insides curdled with disgust. That cunning woman wanted to marry her daughter to him to get the Reid’s fortune.
"Shameless," he muttered under his breath, revulsion evident in his voice.
"Such a shameless woman!" he muttered. "To get property, she married someone else she didn’t love and kept her own daughter away from herself. And that Keith... What kind of man is he? He didn’t hesitate to share his woman with another man!"
"It’s shocking," Skyler sighed, shaking his head. "But the truth is finally out. This is enough to make Claudia surrender the footage she holds against you. Now, she can’t threaten you. You don’t have to marry Gina."
Theodore’s gaze darkened, his expression hardening as his thoughts shifted. "Her children are her weak spot," he said quietly. "For them, she’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to protect them."
He leaned back, a gleam of determination lighting his eyes as a plan began to form. "Start taking action against Franklin," he commanded. This will put pressure on her and expose her vulnerability."
A slight smile touched his lips as he continued, "Meanwhile, I’ll arrange for a paternity test for Gina and reveal the truth to her myself. Let’s see how Claudia reacts when her secrets start unraveling."
In the meantime, the door creaked open and Gina stormed in. Theodore instantly looked up at her, his facial muscles tensing. Skyler also turned his head and gazed at her, his chest tightening with a mix of annoyance and anxiety.
Gina stopped short, her eagerness replaced by a flicker of hesitation as she took in their serious expressions. She glanced from Skyler to Theodore, realizing she had interrupted an important meeting.
She had been so eager to tell Theodore what she had witnessed she had come to find him at his office, instead of heading home. She didn’t knock on the door and stormed in, but she hadn’t expected to find them in the middle of a serious conversation.
Theodore clenched his fists, his annoyance about to spill out. At the same time, he was anxious too as he wondered if she had heard anything.
"I am sorry," she apologized, sensing the seriousness of the situation. "I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll let you finish and come back later."
She turned to leave.
"Stop!" Theodore stopped her. "We were just having a casual conversation," he said with a faint smile, gauging her reaction carefully. "Nothing important. You don’t need to leave."
Gina’s shoulders relaxed, the apology fading from her face as her usual demeanor returned. With a wave of his hand, he signaled Skyler to leave. Skyler nodded and left.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Gina’s face lit up with a relieved grin. "Thank goodness I didn’t interrupt an important meeting."
Her beaming smile told Theodore that she hadn’t overheard anything, and a surge of relief washed over him. But he kept his expression cold. "Next time, knock before you enter," he said sharply. "Now, what brings you here?" He turned his focus on the laptop.
A grim look replaced Gina smile. She approached him and said, "I saw Bella today with Zack."
The name Zack disturbed Theodore. His posture tensed instantly, anger flaring within him. His instinct asked him to go and find that man and beat him to death. The façade he had created around him that he no longer cared about Bella threatened to crumble. His fists trembled as he struggled to contain his rage.
"I went to Limeart Fashion House to submit my designs for their annual show," Gina continued. "And there she was, with Zack. I’m pretty sure he helped her get a job there."
Theodore’s clenched fists slowly loosened as he processed this. ’Limeart Fashion House.’ He remembered Bella mentioning a collaboration offer with a prominent fashion brand, and he realized she might have been there to sign the contract she had spoken about. But why would Zack be there?
His confusion grew deeper. ’Maybe it’s just a coincidence,’ he thought. But his worry lingered. He would talk to Bella later and find out what had happened.
"She is such a bitch," Gina added, her features contorting. "She shamelessly used you and extorted money from you, pretending to be vulnerable. And now she clings to Zack. I feel so disgusted. It’s good that you got rid of her sooner."
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