Chapter 416
Audrey’s POV
I hadn’t even opened the car door when Rebecca, Thalia, and Rachel emerged from the police station and immediately separated. Rebecca and her daughter headed toward a distant gazebo in the park, while Rachel walked purposefully toward the underground parking garage.
“Damn, Astrid slapped her thigh. “We can’t see which one’s crying harder from here. Is our bet still on?”
I shrugged. “Let’s just forget it.”
“No way,” Astrid grinned. “You follow Rachel and snap a pic. I’ll do the same with Rebecca and Thalia. Then we’ll compare and see who wins.”
I couldn’t help smiling at her persistence. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Fine,” I said, reaching for the door handle. “I’ll find Rachel.”
I stepped out and gave Astrid one last look before heading toward the underground garage where Rachel had disappeared.
Astrid’s POV
After watching Audrey leave, I turned my attention to Rebecca and Thalia. They’d reached the park, Rebecca leaning dramatically on her daughter’s arm. A female officer hovered nearby, but Rebecca waved her off.
“Thank you, officer, but we don’t need any more help,” Rebecca said. “My daughter’s got me. We just need some space.”
The officer nodded and left. I ducked behind some parked cars and slipped into the park, keeping my distance. Perfect – I’d sneak a quick photo and settle our bet.
I was about to move closer when Thalia’s voice stopped me cold.
“Mom, something’s off with Rachel Hayes!”
I immediately ducked behind a massive tree, my heart racing.
“My brother’s body was just identified, and she’s already talking about taking over Parker Group. Her crying looks fake. I bet she had something to do with his death.”
Holy shit. Was Thalia actually accusing Rachel of murder?
I silently pulled out my phone, switched it to silent, and hit record.
“Mom, we need to look into Rachel Hayes,” Thalia continued, her voice rising. “A few days ago she’s the one who pushed Blake to get that marriage license early. Now he’s dead, and she’s suddenly his legal heir? Before the wedding even happened?”
She smacked the gazebo railing.
“Something stinks here! We need to find out what really happened. We can’t just let this go!”
I pressed against the tree trunk, straining to hear Rebecca’s response. Through the gazebo slats, I could see Thalia pacing while Rebecca slouched on a bench, scrolling through her phone.
“Take it down a notch,” Rebecca said, not even looking up.
Thalia’s face flushed red. “How can I? Blake and I weren’t close, and yeah, he sent me away because of that bitch Audrey, but he’s still my brother!”
1/3
Chapter 416
She threw her hands up.
‘Plus he built Parker Group into something huge. He never cut our allowances. You think Rachel Hayes is gonna keep paying us? Mom, we need to find out what happened! If Rachel killed him, we need payback!”
Rebecca finally looked up, her expression ice-cold. “What payback? Isn’t Blake’s death convenient?”
I pressed my phone harder against the tree, afraid I’d miss something.
“Didn’t you just hook up with that new guy?” Rebecca continued casually. “Slept with him after what, five days? Think I wouldn’t find out?”
Thalia’s face turned bright red. “Mom, why are you bringing that up? How did –
*Because I set it up,” Rebecca interrupted, setting her phone down. “That boyfriend of yours? I picked him. Top of his class at NYU Finance, hot, great body, brilliant business mind.”
She crossed her legs. “I vetted him for weeks before sending him your way. Didn’t expect you’d jump into bed with him so fast, though.”
I flattened myself against the tree. What the actual hell? I came for some fake tears and stumbled into… whatever twisted family drama this was.
Thalia had gone pale. “Mom, who cares about that right now? My brother just died!”
Rebecca’s mouth curled into a cold smile. “I’m talking about his death too.” Her expression hardened. “Actually, let me rephrase that. Blake Parker’s death. Because Blake… he’s not your brother at all.”
I almost dropped my phone. WHAT?
Thalia’s eyes went wide. “That’s crazy talk! How could he not be my brother? We have the same parents
“Who says I gave birth to him?” Rebecca cut in, her voice emotionless. “He’s your father’s son, yes. But I didn’t have him.”
“Mom, what are you saying?” Thalia’s voice had shrunk to a whisper.
‘Figure it out,” Rebecca tilted her head. “When I married your father, I wasn’t pregnant. Leonora Sterling was.”
Holy. Shit. I pressed closer, terrified of missing a word.
“That’s not funny,” Thalia stammered. “Everyone knows Dad picked you because you were pregnant. He dumped Leonora for you. If Blake was really their kid… wouldn’t Leonora have known she was pregnant? Why would she -*
‘She wanted to surprise him, Rebecca smirked. “When Leonora found out, she didn’t tell your father right away. Wanted to surprise him on his birthday.
She smoothed her pants. “I was already planning to fake a pregnancy, so I’d gone to the hospital to learn what I needed to know. That’s where I spotted pregnant Leonora. Since your father’s birthday was still weeks away, I jumped the gun and announced I was pregnant first.”
Rebecca touched her stomach absently. “After tricking everyone into the marriage, I planned to fake a miscarriage and be done. But then I discovered Leonora was secretly continuing her pregnancy.”
Her voice dropped. “Couldn’t have that. So I had someone watch her. When she gave birth, I pretended to go into labor too. My people brought me her baby and swapped it with a stillborn, making her think her child had died. She went crazy afterward. Eventually died of grief.”
Rebecca looked almost proud. “And I became a real Parker family member thanks to her baby. If anyone checked Blake’s DNA against your father’s, it would match. I made some rookie mistakes faking the pregnancy, but since Blake really was Leo’s son, nobody questioned it.”
I pressed against the tree, my heart hammering. Henry had mentioned the Parker-Sterling drama before – Leo Parker’s love for Leonora, Rebecca cutting in, pregnancy complications. But this? This was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.
How did Rebecca pull this off? How did Leonora not realize what happened?
2/3
Chapter 416
“But I didn’t want to raise someone else’s brat forever,” Rebecca continued, gazing across the park. “So after a few years of marriage, I finally drugged your
father. That’s how I got pregnant with you.”
She turned to Thalia and stroked her cheek, her smile chilling.
“Thalia, you are my only daughter, do you understand?”
Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO
