Chapter 23 It Is Not A Hack
Lucas’s POV
My world was supposed to be stabilizing and I had spent the last week in a state of calculated repair, smoothing over the rough edges of Sasha’s public breakdown and burying those damn "ghost" rumors under a mountain of fake medical records.
Tonight was supposed to be my final move on the board. I had waited for this gala to confirm one thing, the Mayor’s second tenure. Once I was sure Arthur Monroe would hold his seat for another term, I was going to secure my alliance by proposing to Haley. It was a business merger wrapped in a romantic gesture and It was the perfect move to avoid suspicions.
Then, out of nowhere, she appeared and all my plans were suddenly threatened.
Eva Valente, as she calls herself.
I stood in the shadows of the City Grand Hall, my champagne glass frozen halfway to my lips, as the lights flickered and that DNA report flashed on the screen like a death sentence.
I watched this woman, this stranger with ash-blonde hair and sea green eyes walk toward the stage with a confidence that made my skin crawl.
There was something about the way she moved, the tilt of her head and the way her heels clicked against the marble floor that felt awfully familiar.
It felt like a distant memory I had buried at the back of my mind, but I shook my head violently to clear the thought.
No… It’s impossible, Bella is dead, and I had seen the reports and the wreckage of the plane. This woman in front of me was taller, sharper, and radiated a lethal provocation and confidence that Bella never possessed.
But when Eva looked at me and Haley, and those green eyes landed on us, I felt a jolt of raw hatred coming from her. It wasn't just a look, it felt more like a challenge.
And for a split second, I felt a ghost of a familiar presence, but the thought was gone as quickly as it came. Because this woman was a shark while Bella had been a harmless and naive goldfish.
The Gala was abandoned and the Mayor ordered his people to see the guests off, but the scandal would definitely spread by tomorrow. I found myself swept along with the Monroe family as we sped toward the private hospital. The Mayor was in a trance, clutching that antique locket like it was his only lifeline to sanity.
Haley sat beside me in the back of the limousine, her face was a mixture of extremely coldness and fury. She wasn't shaking or crying, she looked like a woman who was simply waiting for an annoying fly to be swatted.
"Don't worry, Lucas," Haley whispered, her voice sounding a bit sharp in the dark car.
She reached over and squeezed my hand, but her touch didn't bring me any comfort. "This girl is a fake, and she must be a professional swindler who probably did some digging into the Ricci family tree. She’s just looking for a payday, nothing more."
"She had that locket, Haley," I said, my voice sounding hollow even to me. "And the DNA on the screen..."
"It was all a hack! A child could have done that with his eyes closed," Haley snapped. She leaned closer, her eyes glittering with a dangerous confidence. "Listen to me, she’s definitely going to be exposed tonight. My mother and the Riccis... they made sure that Elena's past was buried. There is no paper trail, and definitely no way this girl is who she says she is.
And once she’s proven to be a fraud, the Ricci family will deal with her. They won't let her walk away after bringing up Elena’s name. Everyone has forgotten that woman for a reason, and mentioning her is a death sentence."
I let out a long, shaky breath, trying to let her confidence fill me. ‘She’s right’ I told myself. ‘The Riccis are heartless, and they won't allow an imposter to tarnish their name or threaten their connections.’ I finally started to calm down, my heart rate slowing as we pulled into the hospital’s sterile, white-tiled entrance.
We waited in the private lounge, the room was filled with the scent of antiseptic and the low hum of the air conditioning.
The Mayor was inside with the doctor and the girl, Eva. Winnie was pacing the floor, her heels clicking a frantic rhythm that set my nerves on edge. Haley sat next to me, her expression bored, and her fingers casually scrolling through her phone as if we were waiting for a dinner reservation rather than a life altering revelation.
I watched the door to the lab, as my mind was spinning. If this girl was real, my plan would all be in vain . My marriage to Haley would mean nothing if a biological heir stepped in and took the Mayor’s primary attention. My influence would be halved and my protection would be compromised.
‘She’s an imposter’ I chanted in my head. ‘She has to be.’
Forty five minutes passed, and the door finally opened. Arthur Monroe walked out, and he looked like he had aged ten years in less than an hour. He was holding a single sheet of paper, his hands trembling so hard the paper was rattling.
Eva Valente walked out behind him, she looked at me and smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, but the smile of a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
"Arthur?" Winnie asked, stepping forward, her voice tight with anticipation. "Tell the security to take her away now, and let’s end this circus."
The Mayor didn't look at his wife and he also didn't look at Haley, as he slowly raised the paper.
"The results are in," he whispered, his voice cracking with an emotion that sent a chill straight down my spine. "The laboratory confirmed the earlier result, and it wasn't a hack or mistake."
He turned to Eva, his eyes filling with tears of pure joy. "She's my and Elena's daughter… She is my daughter."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis.
I felt a wave of raw, sickening panic crash over me. My lungs seized, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. The room went silent, and a ringing sound filled my ears.
I looked at Haley, expecting to see her crumbling, but she was frozen, her face was pale and frozen in shock. Even she hadn't expected the result and all her earlier confidence was completely gone now..
‘It’s real.’
The thought screamed through my head like a siren. This woman, this Eva Valente, was the Mayor’s biological child. She was the one who held the real power now, and the way she was looking at me... the provocation in those green eyes... it was as if she knew exactly how much this affected me.
Panic, sharp and cold, began to claw at my throat. I looked at the girl, and for a split second, the ash-blonde hair seemed to fade, and I saw Bella’s dark hair, but I quickly shook my head to control my thoughts.
‘No. ..It’s not her… It can't be her, she is dead and gone forever.’
But as the Mayor pulled Eva into a crushing hug, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. My alliance was compromised, and my future was tied to a woman who was now a secondary thought in her own father's house.
I gripped the arms of my chair until my knuckles turned white. I had spent so many years planning my entrance into the Monroe family by hoping to marry Haley but now, it was all for nothing.
I felt a cold sweat break out across my skin. The game has changed completely and it is already seeming like I have lost.