“And no one knew?”

“Emilio knows I mark kitchen supplies. Theresa might have seen me. Anyone watching the nursery could have noticed.”

Rourke called Victor Reed, the estate’s surveillance specialist. Within hours, Victor confirmed the camera interruptions were not equipment failures. Someone with administrative access had deliberately deleted the footage.

The access logs pointed to credentials belonging to Marcus Vale — Adrian’s older cousin.

Marcus was everything Adrian was not. Where Adrian intimidated with silence, Marcus charmed with polished conversation. He remembered servants’ birthdays, donated to public charities, and wore tailored suits that made him look more like a bank executive than a member of a criminal dynasty.

He had also spent years believing Adrian’s empire would eventually become his. Adrian and Isabel had struggled to have children, and before Lucas was born, Marcus stood next in line to control the Vale organization.