Chapter 4 - The Siphoned KingdomTwo hours later, we sat in the private waiting room of the Vale Medical Center. The door opened, and a distinguished-looking doctor in a white lab coat walked in, holding a folder.
Adrian stood up immediately, his breathing shallow. "Well, Doctor?"
The doctor smiled warmly, looking at the papers. "Mr. Vale, the results are conclusive. The DNA profiles show a 99.99% probability of parentage. Mara Ellis is indeed your biological daughter, Evelyn Vale."
Adrian closed his eyes, a look of profound relief washing over his face. He turned to me, his eyes shining with tears. "My daughter. You’re finally home."
"Thank you, Dad," I said, the word feeling strange but incredibly sweet on my tongue.
But the moment of joy was interrupted by a sharp buzz from Adrian's phone. He answered it, his expression instantly hardening. It was Marcus.
"Mr. Vale, we have a situation at the restaurant," Marcus’s voice crackled over the speaker. "Celeste’s lawyers have arrived, and they are threatening to sue us for unlawful detention. She’s demanding access to the restaurant’s safe, claiming she has personal property inside."
"Let her lawyers talk," Adrian said coldly. "We are on our way back. And Marcus? Call the District Attorney. Tell them I have a case of grand larceny, corporate embezzlement, and physical assault ready for them."
During the drive back to Bellamy House, I opened my laptop, which was connected to the restaurant’s secure server. "They are trying to delete the backup files, Dad," I said, pointing to the screen. "Celeste has a remote access key that she shouldn't have. She’s trying to wipe the inventory databases."
"Can you stop her?" Adrian asked, his eyes narrowing.
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"I wrote the security code for this restaurant, Dad," I smiled, my fingers flying across the keyboard. "I didn't just back up the files. I locked her remote access out fifteen minutes ago. Right now, she’s just entering dummy commands that are actually sending copies of her deleted emails directly to the forensic accounting team."
"She thought she was playing with a waitress," Adrian laughed, a proud, dangerous glint in his eyes. "She didn't realize she was trying to steal from a Vale."
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