Inside that canvas bag was my old burner phone.

It was a cheap, cracked device, but it was the only proof I had of what the Harrisons had done to me over the last five years.

If Eleanor’s security team found it, they would destroy it.

Ethan followed my gaze, his eyes lingering on the plastic bag for a fraction of a second.

He seemed to sense my anxiety, though he did not yet know what was hidden inside the bag.

He turned back to his mother, his posture rigid.

“Albright, leave us,” Ethan commanded.

The administrator looked between Ethan and Eleanor, hesitating.

“Now,” Ethan growled.

Albright nodded quickly and retreated into the hallway, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

Vance remained in the corner, silent and watchful, his clipboard held tightly against his chest.

“You think you can buy everything, Eleanor,” Ethan said, dropping the formal title of mother.

“I buy what is necessary to protect our family name,” Eleanor said. “Your father’s company cannot afford a public scandal involving illegitimate children in a city hospital.”

“This isn’t about the company,” Ethan said. “This is about your control.”