Chapter 3 - THE SECRET AT THE GATE
The room went dead silent. The crackle of the fireplace sounded suddenly deafening.
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Martha, have you lost your mind? What are you babbling about? Leave this room immediately."
"I haven't lost my mind, ma'am," Martha replied calmly, not backing down an inch. "For the past three weeks, a man has been parking his truck near the lower gate of the estate. He’s come up to the intercom four times. He doesn't press the button for the main house; he rings the service line to the cottage where I stay."
Amber’s smug smile instantly vanished. She sat up straight, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the edge of the velvet cushion. "She’s crazy," Amber blurted out, her voice pitching an octave higher. "Evelyn, why is your maid talking? This is completely inappropriate!"
"Let her speak," I said sharply, standing up from my chair.
Grant looked bewildered, darting his eyes between Martha, Amber, and his mother. "Martha, what man? What are you talking about?"
Martha reached into the apron pocket of her uniform and pulled out a folded piece of paper along with a small, clear plastic bag containing a white plastic object—a discarded coffee cup with a straw.
"His name is Marcus Vance," Martha said, looking directly at Amber, whose face had suddenly drained of all color. "He worked as a contractor at the Indianapolis convention center five years ago. He told me he’s been looking for Amber for three years. He showed me photos of them together from 2021. And he left this cup because he said if anyone in this house had the sense to run a private lab test, they’d find out that Grant Holloway isn't the only man whose DNA matches that little boy."
"That’s a lie!" Amber screamed, jumping to her feet. Little Cody, startled by his mother's outburst, began to cry, dropping his toy car onto the hard rug. "She’s lying! She’s making this up! Grant, tell her!"
Grant was staring at Amber, his mouth slightly open. "Amber... who is Marcus Vance?"
"Nobody! He’s an ex-boyfriend! He’s crazy! He’s stalking me!" Amber’s voice was hysterical now, a stark contrast to the polished, composure she had exhibited moments earlier. "Evelyn, you saw the paper! Grant signed the paternity acknowledgment! We have the court-certified test!"
"A test you provided," I interjected, stepping toward the center of the room. I turned to Martha. "Martha, why didn't this man go to the police?"
"Because Miss Mercer threatened him," Martha explained clearly. "She told him if he came near her or the boy, she’d use the Holloway legal team to slap him with a restraining order and ruin him financially. He didn't know how to fight a rich family, so he’s been hanging around the gate, trying to figure out if Mr. Grant even knew what was happening."
Martha held out the plastic bag. "Marcus left this cup three days ago. He said he’d pay for the lab himself if he had to, but he wanted the truth. I kept it in the service fridge because I didn't know what to do. But when I saw you take down the portrait of those sweet girls today, Mrs. Holloway... I realized I couldn't stay quiet anymore."
Evelyn’s posture remained rigid, but a dark, dangerous shadow passed over her face. She looked at Amber, then at the crying child, and finally at the paper in Martha’s hand.
"Is this true?" Evelyn demanded, her voice like grinding stones.
"No! Evelyn, please!" Amber pleaded, dropping to her knees beside Evelyn’s chair, catching the older woman’s sleeve. "I loved Grant! Cody is a Holloway! You saw him—he has Grant’s chin! He has your family’s hair!"
"Grant doesn't have dark curls," Paige spoke up from behind me, her teenage voice ringing clear and decisive. "And neither does Grandma."
"Shut up, you spoiled brat!" Amber shrieked, spinning around to glare at Paige.
"Do not speak to my daughter like that," I snapped, stepping directly between Amber and my children. "Not in this house. Not anywhere."
Grant finally seemed to wake up from his trance. He stepped toward Amber, his voice shaking with a mixture of betrayal and sudden, desperate hope. "Amber... the DNA test we did... you brought the home-collection kit to my office. You brought the swabs. You said you took Cody’s swab at home."
Amber blinked, her lips quivering, but no words came out.
"You swabbed yourself, didn't you?" Grant realized, his face turning pale. "Or... or you used a sample from someone else? How did you fake the lab results?"
"It’s not hard to pay off a mobile phlebotomist when fifty thousand dollars a year in 'child support' is on the line," I said, looking down at Amber. "Grant, you were so terrified of your mother’s judgment and so eager to cover up your fling that you didn't even insist on an independent, court-ordered lab test. You just accepted her paperwork because you wanted the problem to go away."
Evelyn stood up slowly. The authority that usually radiated from her seemed to warp into something terrifying. She looked down at Amber kneeling at her feet.
"Get up," Evelyn commanded quietly.
"Evelyn—"
"GET UP!" Evelyn roared, her voice echoing off the high ceilings.
Amber scrambled to her feet, backing away toward the sofa where Cody was now sobbing loudly.
"Martha," Evelyn said, her hands trembling slightly as she leaned against her walking stick. "Call my personal security team. Have them escort Miss Mercer and this child off my property immediately."
"Wait!" Amber yelled, dropping her panicked act and showing her true teeth. "You can't just throw us out! Grant signed an acknowledgment of paternity! Legally, he’s on the birth certificate! I will sue him for every penny he has! I will go to the press! 'Holloway Real Estate Heir Abandons Secret Son!' How will that look for your stock prices, Evelyn?"
Evelyn stared at Amber with pure contempt. "Miss Mercer, you have under-estimated two things. First, the power of my legal firm to tie you up in fraud charges until you are bankrupt. Second, my absolute intolerance for being played for a fool."
Evelyn turned to Grant. "Call our lead corporate counsel. Now. Tell him we are filing an emergency petition for an expedited, court-monitored DNA test, and a civil suit for extortion."
"I’m leaving!" Amber spat, grabbing Cody’s arm and dragging the crying boy toward the hallway. "You haven't heard the last of me!"
As Amber’s heels clattered frantically down the marble hallway toward the front door, silence descended once again on the drawing room.
Grant collapsed into an armchair, burying his face in his hands. "My God... my God..."
Evelyn stood motionless for a long moment. Then, slowly, she turned her eyes toward me, and then toward Paige, Lila, and Wren.
For the first time in seventeen years, I saw something in Evelyn Holloway’s eyes that looked suspiciously like defeat.
She looked at the empty spot above the mantle. Then she looked at the canvas leaning face-down behind the umbrella stand.
"Martha," Evelyn said, her voice unusually frail. "Put the frame back up."
"No," I said firmly.
Evelyn blinked, turning to look at me in surprise. "What did you say?"
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I took a step forward, pulling my three daughters close to my side.
"I said no," I repeated, my voice steady and iron-clad. "You don't get to take my daughters down when you think you have a better option, and then hang them back up when your fantasy falls apart. They are not decorations for your ego, Evelyn. And they are not second-best."
