Chapter 197: The Secret Will Remain Buried Forever

Erwin's POV

I laid it out for my mother the same way I'd handle an acquisition deal.

"Guessing won't cut it. Tomorrow I'm going to her parents' house to confirm this. If they admit it, then I decide what happens next. And I'm the only one who gets to make that call."

Mother nodded, then stood by the wine rack in silence, clutching that bottle of dessert wine against her chest.

"I was wrong, Erwin." Her voice was quiet. "About Natalie. About all of it. I spent months fighting with you over a stranger, and that stranger turned out to be the girl who saved my life—who might be Lauren's daughter."

She looked up at me, eyes glistening. "Maybe God arranged all this. Maybe I never should've interfered with you two in the first place."

"Mom."

"Let me finish. I'll handle Vivian myself. I'll make sure she leaves the country and starts over somewhere far from you. You'll never hear her name in this house again."

I'd been bracing for another fight. Instead, she surrendered right there in the wine cellar.

All I could do was take the bottle from her arms and pull her close.

"Then let's get back upstairs before Dad tells her the story about my first bicycle."

"Oh God," Mom said. "That one's awful."

We were too late. The moment I walked in, Natalie's eyes met mine, sparkling with barely suppressed laughter, while Dad looked entirely too pleased with himself.

When we finally said our goodnights, Mom grabbed Dad's wrist and hauled him up from the couch, marching him to the front steps to see us off.

She hugged Natalie, then held her by the shoulders and made her promise to come back on Sunday.

My father stood behind her, waving enthusiastically. In the rearview mirror, I watched them standing there on the steps.

"So?" I glanced at her. "How'd it go?"

Natalie kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up on the seat—something she only did when she felt safe.

"Honestly? Way better than I expected. I'm actually starting to wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"About your mother, Erwin." She turned her head against the seat to look at me. "She sent Vivian to replace me. She warned me off. Tonight she kept holding my hand and piling lamb onto my plate before I'd even finished what I had. Seriously, it felt like the woman who wanted me gone and the woman at that table were two different people."

The truth sat on my chest like a stone. Her face. Lauren. Celeste. All of it.

I swallowed it down.

"You saved her life, then sat at her table asking for nothing. That's why she treated you well."

"It's that simple?"

"Natalie, you were always meant to be treated this way. The world just took too damn long to figure it out."

She went quiet, her thumb tracing slow patterns across the back of my hand.

At the next red light, she leaned over the console and kissed my cheek.

---

The next morning, I told Natalie I was going to check on my mother, then left the office.

She was buried in the London contract pile, pen cap between her teeth, and waved me off without looking up.

After that, I picked up my mother and drove to Natalie's parents' house.

Raphael Perez answered the door in a cardigan, his expression shifting from surprise to alarm when he saw us.

Lucy Morris appeared behind him. When she spotted me, she froze too.

"Mr. Davis." Raphael's voice was cautious. "Natalie's not home."

"I know, sir. She's at work. We're here to talk to both of you."

They led us into a living room that smelled of coffee and old books. An entire wall was covered with photos of Natalie—laughing on beaches, arms around Lucy.

No point beating around the bush. "Is Natalie your biological daughter?"

Raphael's coffee cup stopped halfway to his mouth. Lucy's hand crept over and gripped her husband's knee.

"What kind of question is that?" Raphael set the cup down hard. "Of course she is. Who told you otherwise? I don't care who you are, young man—you don't walk into my home and ask insulting questions like that!"

That's when my mother, who'd been silent until now, spoke.

"...Lauren."

My mother choked on the name. But it made both of them stop breathing.

"Lauren Hartwell was my best friend. I stood beside her at her wedding. I flew back for her funeral... For twenty-six years, I've hated myself for not flying home sooner."

Tears streamed down her face. She made no move to wipe them.

"Two days ago, Natalie saved my life. When she came to my house, I thought my dead friend had come back. I'm only here to make you a promise."

She leaned forward and took Lucy's hand. "Whatever it costs, I will protect Natalie. I swear it. So please tell me—is Natalie really...?"

The room went silent. I heard the clock chiming from the hall.

Lucy's shoulders sagged. The anger drained from her face as she looked at her husband.

Raphael took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Lucy was clearly struggling—maybe because my mother's tears were too real, maybe because she'd spoken Lauren's name.

Finally, Lucy nodded. "Yes. But Natalie doesn't know. And I don't want her to."

My mother made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh, pressing Lucy's hand to her cheek.

The two women sat there, crying for a woman who'd been dead for twenty-six years.

When the tears stopped, Lucy's expression turned serious.

"You know, the Hartwell family is a nest of vipers. If those people find out my daughter has a claim to that inheritance, they'll hurt her. She's finally got a good life—we won't let her suffer again. So I don't want her to know..."

"She won't." I set down my cup, cutting straight to it. "Celeste Hartwell already knows. She's been hiring people to go after Natalie—that's why we're here. I can tell you exactly what we're going to do next. The Davis family is removing Celeste from the board. James Hartwell is my friend—he'll help me do it. Once the dust settles, this secret gets buried with her."

Raphael studied me. "Buried meaning Natalie never finds out?"

"Never." The word felt heavy, but I said it firmly. "This is too much to put on her. We're not dragging her into another mess."

Lucy started crying again. My mother held her. Raphael reached over and gripped my hand. "Then that's the deal. She never knows. You said it."

My mother was still hugging Lucy on the porch when I headed for the car. They looked like they had plenty left to say.

Before I reached the door, my phone rang. Cole's name lit up the screen.

"Boss!" Cole's voice was loud. "We got Lilian!"