## CHAPTER 6 ## THE BABY SECRET THAT COULD DESTROY TWO BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRES
The silence after the phone call was unbearable.
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Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
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The only sound in the room was the rain hitting the windows.
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Marcus stared at Khloe.
The woman he loved.
The woman he almost lost.
The woman carrying his child.
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But now...
For the first time...
A question had entered his mind.
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A question he hated himself for asking.
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"Khloe..."
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His voice was quiet.
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"Is there something you need to tell me?"
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Her eyes filled instantly.
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Not anger.
Not betrayal.
Pain.
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"Marcus..."
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He looked away.
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"I need the truth."
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Those four words broke something in her.
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Because Khloe had spent years protecting people.
Her father.
Her mother.
Her family name.
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But now...
The one person she never wanted to hurt...
Was standing in front of her.
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And she had to choose.
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The truth...
Or another lie.
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Daniel stepped forward.
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"Marcus, you need to understand—"
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"No."
Marcus stopped him.
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"I need to hear it from my wife."
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The room went quiet.
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Khloe looked down at her hands.
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Then she whispered:
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"The baby is yours."
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Marcus closed his eyes.
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Relief came first.
Then confusion.
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"Then what was my mother talking about?"
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Khloe took a shaky breath.
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"Because she knows something about the pregnancy."
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"What?"
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Khloe looked at Daniel.
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Her uncle nodded slowly.
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"Tell him."
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Khloe wiped her tears.
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"When I found out I was pregnant..."
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Marcus listened.
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"I discovered something unusual in my medical records."
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"What kind of unusual?"
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"My blood tests."
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A pause.
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"My genetic results."
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Marcus frowned.
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"I don't understand."
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Khloe looked at him.
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"My mother left behind medical research."
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"Research connected to our family."
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Daniel continued.
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"Richard Parker wasn't only an inventor."
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"He was a genetic researcher before he entered business."
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Marcus looked shocked.
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"Genetic?"
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Khloe nodded.
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"My father believed certain medical discoveries could help people."
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"But Theodore Thorne wanted to use them for something else."
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Marcus felt cold.
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"What?"
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Daniel answered:
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"Control."
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The room became silent.
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"Your grandfather believed the future belonged to whoever controlled genetics."
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Daniel continued.
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"He spent years trying to create a system that could identify valuable genetic traits."
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Marcus looked at Khloe.
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"And the baby?"
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Khloe touched her stomach.
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"During my pregnancy tests, doctors discovered something."
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She swallowed.
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"The baby has a rare genetic marker."
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Marcus frowned.
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"What does that mean?"
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Daniel looked serious.
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"It means the baby inherited unique traits from both families."
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"From Parker."
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"And from Thorne."
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Marcus stared.
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"Why would that matter?"
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Daniel answered:
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"Because Theodore believed that bloodlines created power."
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Marcus shook his head.
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"This is insane."
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Khloe nodded.
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"I know."
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"That's why I didn't tell you."
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Marcus looked hurt.
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"You kept this from me?"
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"I was afraid."
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"Of me?"
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"No."
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Her voice broke.
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"Of what would happen to our child."
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The truth hurt.
But Marcus understood.
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Because suddenly he remembered.
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The attack.
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Isabella.
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His mother.
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Everyone trying to control Khloe.
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Everyone interested in the baby.
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Nobody protecting the mother.
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"I should have told you."
Khloe whispered.
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Marcus sat beside her.
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For several seconds...
Neither spoke.
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Then he took her hand.
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"I wish you had."
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A tear fell down her face.
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"But I understand why you were afraid."
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That moment almost repaired everything.
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Almost.
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Until the lights went out.
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The entire house went dark.
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Daniel immediately stood.
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"What happened?"
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Marcus looked toward the windows.
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Security alarms should have activated.
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They didn't.
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Something was wrong.
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Very wrong.
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Then a sound came from the hallway.
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Footsteps.
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Slow.
Calm.
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Someone walking through the house like they owned it.
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Daniel reached for the security phone.
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Nothing.
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Dead.
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Marcus moved in front of Khloe.
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"Stay behind me."
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The footsteps stopped.
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A shadow appeared near the doorway.
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Then a voice.
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"Still protecting her."
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Marcus froze.
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Because he knew that voice.
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"Evelyn."
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His mother stepped into the room.
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But she wasn't alone.
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Behind her stood three men.
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Security.
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Armed.
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Khloe grabbed Marcus's hand.
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"What is happening?"
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Evelyn looked at her.
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Not with hatred.
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With disappointment.
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"You should have listened to me."
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Marcus stepped forward.
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"What did you do?"
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Evelyn smiled.
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"I came to take what belongs to my family."
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Marcus's eyes narrowed.
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"The baby?"
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Evelyn didn't answer.
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And that was the answer.
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"You came here for my child."
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"I came here for the future."
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Marcus's voice became cold.
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"You are insane."
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Evelyn looked at him.
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"No."
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"I am the only person who understands what is coming."
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She turned toward Khloe.
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"Your father spent his life hiding the truth."
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"Your mother spent hers running from it."
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"And now..."
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She looked at Khloe's stomach.
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"You are carrying the key to everything."
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Marcus stepped between them.
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"You will never touch my wife or my child."
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Evelyn smiled sadly.
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"That's exactly what your father said."
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Marcus froze.
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"What?"
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Evelyn's expression changed.
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"Did you really think Jonathan Thorne disappeared because of business?"
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The room went silent.
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"Your father didn't steal the Parker legacy."
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She looked at Khloe.
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"He was trying to protect you."
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Marcus stared.
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"What are you saying?"
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Evelyn took out a small device.
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A recording.
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"I brought proof."
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She pressed play.
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A man's voice filled the room.
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Marcus recognized it immediately.
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His father's voice.
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"If anything happens to me, the truth must reach Marcus."
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Marcus stopped breathing.
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The recording continued.
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"The person who betrayed the Parker family was not me."
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A pause.
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"It was the person I trusted most."
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Everyone looked at Evelyn.
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Then his father's final words played.
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"Evelyn knows where the original research is hidden."
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Silence.
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Marcus looked at his mother.
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And for the first time in his life...
He saw fear on her face.
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Because the recording wasn't accusing someone else.
May you like
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It was accusing her.
