“Your daughter has been lying. To all of us. The twins aren’t the children of some dead stranger. They’re mine.”
“That’s not possible,” Viktor says.
“The DNA test says otherwise. 99.97% probability. No room for error.”
Svetlana turns to Anna. “Anna, is this true?”
Anna doesn’t answer.
“Answer your mother,” I say.
“Yes.” Anna’s voice is flat. “It’s true.”
“You—” Viktor stands up so fast his chair tips backward. “You knew? This entire time, you knew?”
“Yes.”
“When we signed those contracts. When we arranged this marriage. You knew Luca was their father?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing?!”
“I was protecting them!”
“Protecting them?” Viktor’s face is turning red. “You lied to us! To everyone! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“I did what I had to do!”
“You kept our grandchildren away from their father! You lied about their paternity! You—” He turns to me. “And you! You didn’t recognize her? Didn’t remember?”
“It was five years ago. One night. I was drunk. She never told me her name.”
“So you just sleep with random women and forget about them?”
“I did then. Not anymore.”
Viktor looks between us, fury radiating off him. “This is insane. Both of you. This entire situation is insane.”
“Sit down, Viktor,” Svetlana says quietly.
“Don’t tell me to sit down! Our daughter has been lying to us for years!”
“I know. But screaming at her won’t change it. Sit down.”
Viktor stays standing. “Do you understand what this means? Luca has even more leverage over us now. Not just the debt, not just the company. He has our grandchildren!”
“I always had them,” I say. “I just didn’t know it.”
“And now that you do? What are you planning?”
“I want what any father would want. Access to my children. Recognition as their father. A real relationship with them instead of being blocked at every turn.”
“You’re going to take them from Anna.”
“I’m considering it.”
“No.” Anna jumps to her feet. “You can’t.”
