“He went straight to your private study,” Ruth whispered.

“I watched him from the hallway.”

“He has a key to your wall safe, Daniel.”

“He is looking for the original surrogacy contract from five years ago.”

I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

That contract contained the medical truths about Claire’s connection to the twins.

If Vance destroyed it, we would have no physical proof of her biological tie.

“He wants to destroy it,” Ruth said.

“I heard him on the phone saying that without the original document, Claire has no legal standing.”

“Can you lock him out of the study?” I asked, my voice rising.

“I cannot get close enough without him seeing me,” Ruth said.

“But Vance does not know everything.”

“He does not know what I did five years ago.”

I frowned, looking at Claire, who was watching me with deep concern.

“What do you mean, Ruth?” I asked.

“When those papers were signed, I knew the family dynamics were fragile,” Ruth said.

“I made a duplicate copy of the original contract.”

“I kept it hidden in a place no one else knows about.”