Chapter 4 - The Envelope in the Diaper Bag.
Emily was moved to another room while hospital security locked down access to her medical records.
Nathan was ordered to remain off the maternity floor until the investigation was reviewed.
He left angry.
Vanessa left smiling.
Luca trusted the smile less than the anger.
Inside Emily's new room, Grace slept in a clear hospital bassinet.
Emily sat on the edge of the bed and stared at nothing.
Luca remained by the window.
"You can go."
He looked at her.
"Do you want me to?"
Emily swallowed.
"I don't know what I want."
"That's different."
She looked at the tattoos covering his hands.
"Why are you still here?"
Luca did not answer immediately.
"Because something is wrong."
"Something was wrong before you arrived."
"Now someone is erasing records."
Emily rubbed both hands over her face.
"Nathan lies."
"I noticed."
"Vanessa lies better."
Luca nodded.
"I noticed that too."
A nurse entered with Grace's diaper bag and a plastic bag containing Emily's belongings from the first room.
She set everything on the chair.
Then she left.
Emily reached for the diaper bag.
Luca noticed the zipper was partly open.
"Was it like that before?"
Emily frowned.
"No."
He stepped closer.
Inside were diapers, wipes, a small yellow blanket, two bottles, and a sealed white envelope.
Emily stared at it.
"That's not mine."
Luca used a tissue to lift it out.
There was no name on the front.
Inside was a photocopy of a legal trust document.
One paragraph had been highlighted.
The first biological child of Nathan Cole would inherit voting control of Cole Meridian Holdings on Nathan's thirty-fifth birthday.
Nathan would turn thirty-five in eleven days.
Emily read the paragraph twice.
"What does that mean?"
Luca looked at the final page.
"It means Grace isn't just his daughter."
He tapped the highlighted clause.
"She's a key."
Emily's face went pale.
Cole Meridian Holdings controlled shipping terminals, medical suppliers, and several private hospital contracts across three states.
Nathan had always told Emily his family's money belonged to his father.
He had never mentioned a trust.
A handwritten note was tucked behind the copied pages.
IF HE ACKNOWLEDGES HER, HE LOSES CONTROL.
Emily whispered the sentence aloud.
Luca looked back at the trust.
"No."
"What?"
"The clause says Grace gets voting control."
He studied the wording again.
"Nathan doesn't lose money."
"Then what does he lose?"
"Power."
Emily looked toward the bassinet.
Grace slept with one fist curled near her cheek.
"You're telling me he walked away because of a company?"
"I'm telling you someone may have wanted him to walk away."
The door opened suddenly.
Emily jumped.
Dr. Hale entered with a security technician.
The technician looked shaken.
"We checked the camera outside Ms. Carter's original room."
Luca watched his face.
"And?"
"Eleven minutes of footage are missing."
Emily gripped the edge of the bed.
"Which eleven minutes?"
The technician swallowed.
"The eleven minutes when someone put that envelope in the diaper bag."
Luca turned toward the hallway.
May you like
At the far end, a nurse in blue scrubs was watching the room.
The moment Luca met her eyes, she ran.
