Chapter 539 - 135 Blood Lies Exposed

Chapter 539: Chapter 135 Blood Lies Exposed

Daniel’s POV

The drive back to the police station with Katarina was quiet. My mind kept replaying Lila’s reaction to my proposal. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, frustration bubbling inside me. The boxes Katarina had brought would be safer to examine in my secured office rather than at home where Lila might discover them.

"You’re still bothered that Lila didn’t accept your proposal, aren’t you?" Katarina broke the silence, her eyes studying my tense expression.

I exhaled sharply. "Yes. Why can’t she see this would solve everything?"

Katarina shook her head, a knowing smile on her face. "Daniel, your strategy might be logical, but your execution was terrible. Women don’t want practical proposals. We want romance, passion, a declaration of undying love. Not ’Let’s get married to stop your crazy mother from selling you off to another family.’"

"But she knows I love her," I muttered, pulling through the station’s security entrance. "Shouldn’t that be enough?"

"It’s enough for her to share your life and your bed," Katarina replied with brutal honesty. "But marriage in our world? That requires more than solving a problem. It needs to be about wanting to bind your souls together forever, not avoiding her mother’s power plays."

Deep down, I knew she was right. My calculating nature had overshadowed what should have been a moment of romance.

Inside my soundproofed office, I handed one box to Katarina while I started digging through the other. Most items seemed inconsequential at first—random objects, business documents from Lila’s family enterprises, some financial statements with substantial balances from an offshore bank in the town where we’d retrieved these items.

An old photo album caught my attention. Each picture was meticulously labeled with names, locations, and dates. The deceased maid appeared in every photo alongside a heavyset woman—presumably the friend mentioned by the maid’s sister. Something about this plump woman seemed strangely familiar, though I couldn’t place why.

"Found it!" Katarina’s triumphant voice snapped me from my thoughts. She held up a folder containing what appeared to be torn diary pages. "These must be the missing pages."

We abandoned everything else and started reading. With each paragraph, my stomach knotted tighter. The contents were beyond anything I had anticipated.

When we finished, Katarina’s eyes glistened with tears. "This is monstrous, Daniel. Such cruelty..."

"In my years on the force, I’ve seen humanity’s worst," I replied, running a hand through my hair. "But this? Knowing what this will do to Lila when she learns the truth? That’s what’s killing me."

"The diary clearly states that the daughter your mother-in-law expected died during childbirth," Katarina summarized, her voice trembling. "Claire wasn’t even pregnant. Lila isn’t Beckett’s biological sister."

"Lila must be the baby the nurse mentioned to Gideon, the one whose birth mother claims was stolen." The weight of this realization crashed down on me. "This will destroy her world, Katarina."

"We can’t tell her yet, Daniel. Not until we get DNA confirmation and talk to Nathaniel," Katarina pleaded.

I shook my head firmly. "I almost lost her once for keeping secrets. This is too significant to hide from her."

"Let’s call Beckett," Katarina suggested. "We need his perspective as the family head."

I agreed, and she initiated the encrypted video call.

Beckett answered while clearly distracted with family business paperwork. "Hey, Lucinda. Are you still with my sister?"

"Beckett," Katarina’s voice was urgent, "stop what you’re doing and focus. Is anyone there with you?"

"No, I’m alone in my private office." He finally looked up, noticing me. "Oh, hi Daniel. How’s Lila holding up?"

"She’s at home with Zoe, doing as well as can be expected after that confrontation with her mother," I replied.

"Beckett, we found the missing diary pages," Katarina interjected, not wasting time.

He straightened in his chair. "Great! What’s in them?"

"Brace yourself," Katarina warned. "I’ll give you the short version. According to the maid, your mother’s baby died during delivery. And Claire wasn’t pregnant at all."

Beckett’s face drained of color. "You’re saying Lila..." He couldn’t finish, tears welling in his eyes. "No. This can’t be real."

"I’m sorry, darling. But there’s more," Katarina continued gently.

"What could possibly be worse?" Beckett buried his face in his hands.

"Justin isn’t Nathaniel’s biological son," I stated bluntly.

Beckett’s head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

"Beckett," I leaned toward the camera, "there’s much more, but I need you and Nathaniel to come to the station today."

"Today?" He looked shellshocked.

"Yes. I can’t keep this from Lila. She’d never forgive me if she discovered I hid something this important. And frankly, I wouldn’t put it past Claire to reveal everything just to hurt her."

"Daniel’s right," Katarina added softly. "We need to handle this as a family."

"Beckett, you—" Nathaniel’s voice interrupted as he entered his son’s office. "Son, what’s wrong? You look pale."

"Dad..." Beckett visibly struggled to compose himself. "We need to go see Lila."

"Is something wrong with your sister?" Worry immediately creased Nathaniel’s features.

"She’s okay, but we need to go," Beckett replied, unable to explain further.

"I don’t understand," Nathaniel frowned.

"Nathaniel," Katarina called out. "Lila is physically fine, but she needs her family right now. Please come today. She needs to feel your support."

Nathaniel’s confusion was evident. "Katarina, I still don’t understand why you’re there or why this is so urgent."

"Nathaniel," I addressed him directly, "after what Lila experienced today with her mother, she needs to be surrounded by people who truly love her. She’s happiest when you’re around."

His expression softened. "Of course, you’re right. We’ll leave immediately."

"Perfect. Beckett, Katarina and I will wait for you at the station," I confirmed before ending the call.

Katarina exhaled deeply beside me. "Everything’s about to change, isn’t it?"

I nodded grimly, collecting the damning evidence spread across my desk. The truth would soon come to light, and our lives would never be the same.