Chapter 14 - The Paternity Claim
Marcus straightened his coat, attempting to regain the corporate authority that usually commanded boardrooms across Wall Street. He gestured to the lean, sharp-featured man in the dark suit standing beside the car.
"This is Harold Stern, senior partner at Stern & Cole," Marcus declared, his chin raised in defiance. "I filed an emergency ex parte motion this morning in the Maine District Court. We have petition orders for compulsory DNA testing and an immediate injunction freezing any attempt to move Julian outside the jurisdiction of this county."
Stern stepped forward, holding out a thick manila envelope sealed with red court tape. "Mrs. Sterling—or Ms. Howard, rather—this is a formal summons. Under state family law, a putative father with prima facie photographic and timeline evidence has the right to establish biological paternity and seek emergency shared custody."
I felt the ground shift under my feet, but before the panic could take root, Adrien’s hand closed over mine, warm, steady, and immovable.
"Keep the envelope, Mr. Stern," Adrien replied, his expression entirely bored. "Your motion is already moot."
Harold Stern frowned, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. "Excuse me, Mr. Sterling. A father’s biological claim cannot be brushed aside by private—"
"Julian Howard Sterling was legally adopted under the full jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court fourteen months ago," Adrien stated clearly, each word dropping like a lead weight onto the gravel. "The statutory notification period was published in the Boston Globe and the New York Times under standard legal notices for an unknown biological donor after sixty days of zero claim. The decree was finalized, signed by Justice Patricia Walsh, and sealed under Massachusetts child protection confidentiality laws."
Marcus turned pale, the color draining from his face until he looked like a corpse in expensive wool. "What? No... that's impossible. I am his biological father!"
"Biologically, you provided half a strand of DNA," Adrien said, his hazel eyes locking onto Marcus with ruthless finality. "Legally, socially, and morally, you do not exist. On his birth certificate, on his medical records, on his passport, and in the eyes of the United States government, Julian is my son. If you file a fraudulent petition claiming paternity over an adopted minor whose decree is finalized, my legal team will file counterclaims for judicial harassment, emotional distress, and criminal stalking across state lines."
"You stole him!" Marcus shrieked, lunging forward, completely losing control. "Elena, tell him! You cannot let this stranger take my boy! I can give him everything! The Vance trust fund, the private schools, the estates in Palm Beach and Aspen! He is the sole heir to four billion dollars!"
"He doesn't need your blood money, Marcus," I said, stepping down to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Adrien. "He has an ocean. He has a mother who loves him. And he has a father who puts him to sleep every night without checking a ledger first. You think love is an asset you buy at an auction. It isn't. You lost us the day you gave Genevieve that necklace."
At the mention of Genevieve’s name, Marcus flinched as though I had struck him across the face. "Genevieve is gone! Elena, I threw her out! She lied to me, she used me, she stole from the foundation—she was nothing! It was always you! Every single day since you left has been a living hell!"
"That sounds like your liability, Marcus," I replied cold and clear. "And as we both know... I don't carry other people's debts anymore."
"I won't stop, Elena," Marcus choked out, tears of humiliation and rage spilling over his eyelashes. "I will hire every investigator on the eastern seaboard. I will spend every penny Vance Corp has to break that adoption! You will not erase me!"
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"Try it," Adrien said softly, his voice deadlier than a loaded gun. "And I will buy your short-term debt on the secondary market, freeze your credit lines in London, and leave you begging outside your own boardroom before the year is out. Get in your car, Vance. Your time is up."
***
