“And what if they were?” she asked quietly.

“Does it change who you are today?”

“Does it change Whitmore Capital?”

“It changes everything,” I said.

“No, it does not,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

She walked back to her laptop and closed the lid with a soft click.

“If you pursue this, Adrian, you will lose everything.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked.

“It is a statement of fact,” she said.

She reached into her leather handbag on the table.

She pulled out a manila folder and laid it on the closed laptop.

“Inside this folder are copies of your mother’s financial transactions with Dr. Mercer.”

“There are also records of your recent visits to Maren’s home.”

“If you try to bring those children into our lives, or if you try to make Maren a part of your world again, I will release all of this to the press.”

I looked at the folder.

My chest tightened.

“You would destroy my family’s name,” I said.

“I would protect my share of the assets,” Celeste corrected.

“A scandal like this will wipe out Whitmore Capital’s valuation overnight.”