Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 387

"After that, I took zero chances. I hired private security to covertly watch the ward.

"I pretended everything was normal. I went to the equestrian club and waited. It took four hours before Lacey finally woke up, panicked, and called me to say the baby was missing."

When Lacey had first woken up to find only one baby, she assumed the nurses had taken the other for testing. It wasn't until the caretaker returned and asked the medical staff that panic truly set in.

Lacey had been too naive, trusting the vipers in her own home.

The hospital administrators were summoned. Once they confirmed the infant was missing, they called the police, notified Adrian, and deployed the Mercer family's security grid.

"When I got the call, I rushed back. I needed to verify that the baby in the bassinet was actually you. Once I saw your face, I finally breathed.

"Everyone was tearing the city apart looking for the 'missing' baby, but I just stayed by your side and comforted Lacey. Your brothers were still little. Ethan was in elementary school, and Julian had just started kindergarten.

"The entire Mercer estate was in chaos, yet your father—Adrian—was nowhere to be found. He claimed he was tied up with a corporate crisis. I call bullshit on that.

"He finally showed up on the third day. Suddenly, he was the frantic, devoted father.

"Two months later, Fiona came crying to Lacey. She claimed Adrian was too depressed to run the Mercer Group, that the stock was plummeting, rivals were stealing their contracts, and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"Fiona manipulated Lacey flawlessly. The very next day, Lacey was in tears, physically blocking Adrian from leaving the house to 'search' for the baby.

"'It's her fate,' Lacey told him. 'You've done all you can. We can't let the entire Mercer empire burn to the ground for one child.'

"Adrian played his part perfectly. 'She's my daughter! I will bankrupt this family before I stop looking for her!'"