When Contracts Turn to Forbidden Kisses Chapter 173

Amelia

The next day, I was wrapping up a prenatal consultation with Mrs. Carter, a nervous first-time mother who'd been bombarding me with questions for the past forty minutes. Her anxiety about childbirth was perfectly normal, and I'd just finished reassuring her about epidural options when the door to my office burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

Emily stood in the doorway, her face flushed and her breathing rapid. My patient jumped in her seat, clutching her belly protectively as if the sudden noise might harm her baby.

"If you need to see a doctor, please register at the front desk," I said coldly, not bothering to hide my irritation. "I'm in the middle of a consultation."

Emily ignored me completely, her eyes wild as she paced into my office. "You need to help me. Now!"

Mrs. Carter shot me a concerned look, then glared at Emily. "Excuse me, but I'm in the middle of an appointment."

"This is family business," Emily snapped. "It's important."

"So is my baby," Mrs. Carter retorted. "Are you always this rude, or is today special?"

Emily whirled on her. "You don't understand—"

"I understand you're acting like an emotionally unstable teenager," Mrs. Carter said, gathering her purse. "Dr. Thompson, I'll come back when it's less... chaotic."

"I'm so sorry about this interruption," I said, standing to escort her out. "Please reschedule with Jenny at the front desk. We can continue our discussion then."

After Mrs. Carter left, I shut the door firmly and turned to face Emily. "What the hell is so important that you needed to burst in here like that?"

"Dad's been arrested," Emily blurted out, her voice cracking. "The police took him away this morning. You need to talk to Ethan, make him help get Dad out."

"Robert was arrested?" I kept my voice neutral. "If the police arrested him, I assume he committed a crime. What does that have to do with me?"

"He's your father too!" Emily's voice rose to a shrill pitch. "You can't just stand there like it doesn't matter!"

"Robert Thompson is my father in legal documents only," I replied calmly. "In reality, he's nothing to me."

"How can you be so cold?" Emily's eyes filled with tears. "Is your heart made of ice? No wonder Dad never liked you."

The words were meant to hurt, but they barely registered. Robert's opinion of me had stopped mattering long ago.

"Even if he is just your legal father, you still have obligations as his daughter," Emily insisted.

"I have no obligations to a man who made my childhood a living hell," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous quiet. "Whatever he's done to get himself arrested, I'm sure it's serious. I can't help him, and I wouldn't if I could."

Emily's face contorted with rage. "You ungrateful bitch! After everything he's done—"

"Everything he's done?" I laughed, the sound hollow and bitter. "What exactly has Robert done for me except try to steal my inheritance and make my life miserable? Name one thing, Emily."

"He—"

"Get out of my office," I cut her off. "I have patients to see, people who actually need my help."

"You'll regret this," Emily hissed, stepping closer. "When he's convicted and locked away, you'll wish you'd helped when you had the chance."

I held her gaze steadily. "I doubt that very much."

Emily lunged forward, but before she could reach me, the door opened and two security guards appeared. Someone must have heard the commotion.

"Everything okay, Dr. Thompson?" the taller guard asked, eyeing Emily suspiciously.

"Miss Thompson was just leaving," I said firmly. "Please escort her out of the building."

As they led a struggling Emily away, I could hear her screams echoing down the hallway. Once the noise faded, I closed my office door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. My hands were shaking.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Ethan, Emily just came to my office causing a scene, saying that Dad has been arrested. Do you know the details?"

---

Ethan

I had just arrived at the police station when my phone rang. Seeing Amelia's name on the screen, I immediately connected the dots—someone had already reached out to her about Robert.

"I'm looking into it right now," I answered, stepping away from the entrance. "I'll call you back with details later."

I ended the call and walked to the holding area. Robert Thompson sat at a metal table in the interrogation room, his expensive suit wrinkled and his usually slicked-back hair disheveled. When the door opened, he looked up with obvious relief that quickly soured into apprehension upon seeing me.

"You?" Robert's voice cracked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what kind of trouble my father-in-law has gotten himself into," I replied coolly, taking the seat across from him. "Drug trafficking? That's a new low, even for you."

Robert's face paled. "How did you—"

"I have connections," I said, not letting him finish. "But that's the least of your concerns. We both know there are more serious matters at hand. Like the truth about Elizabeth's death."

Robert flinched as if he'd been struck. "I had nothing to do with that. It was an accident."

"An accident?" I leaned forward, placing both palms flat on the table. "Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night?"

"It wasn't me," Robert insisted, sweat beading on his forehead. "I didn't kill her."

"Maybe not directly," I conceded, my voice dangerously soft. "But you knew what happened, didn't you? Elizabeth died, and suddenly you inherited all her assets. Margaret moved in with Emily, and everything worked out perfectly for you—except for Amelia, of course. Did you ever once consider how this affected your daughter?"

Robert's face twisted in anger. "She's not my daughter! I had DNA tests done—twice! Elizabeth cheated on me."

I reached into my jacket and pulled out two folded documents, laying them on the table. "You mean these tests? The ones Margaret arranged?" I pushed the papers across. "Look at them carefully. The first one proves Amelia is indeed your biological daughter. The second one proves Emily is not."

Robert's hands trembled as he unfolded the reports. His eyes darted back and forth across the pages, the color draining from his face.

"This can't be right," he whispered. "Margaret wouldn't..."

"Margaret played you," I said flatly. "She made you believe Elizabeth was unfaithful so you'd seek revenge by cheating with her. She manipulated everything."

Robert slumped in his chair, looking suddenly older. "That conniving bitch set me up," he muttered. "All these years..."

"Tell me about Elizabeth," I prompted, my tone softening slightly. "How did you meet?"

Robert's eyes grew distant. "We met at university. She was studying accounting, brilliant with numbers. I fell hard. We got married right after graduation." A bitter smile twisted his lips. "She was so beautiful, so full of life. When she got the job at Viktor's company, I was proud of her."

"And then?"

"Margaret showed me photos of Elizabeth with another man," Robert's voice hardened. "Said she'd been seeing him for months. I was blind with rage. Started sleeping with Margaret to get back at her."

"And after Elizabeth died?" I pressed.

"I was devastated, but Margaret was there, comforting me. She moved in with Emily, saying we should present a united front for Amelia's sake." Robert laughed hollowly. "I was such a fool."

I studied him carefully. "So, Elizabeth's death was caused by Margaret's jealousy?"