Arthur closed the heavy oak door of his private office to keep out all noise.
He sat down behind his wide mahogany desk and motioned for Elena to sit.
The room was filled with books and legal documents regarding his vast inheritance.
Elena remained standing near the window while holding the sleeping child gently.
Mr. Vericci: Explain what you meant out there in the hallway.
Elena: Was Nico born at Saint Jude Memorial Hospital on the fourth floor?
Mr. Vericci: Yes, that is where my wife gave birth three weeks ago.
Elena: Were you present in the delivery room when the child was cleaned?
Mr. Vericci: No, the doctors asked me to wait in the hallway due to complications.
Arthur rubbed his temples as painful memories came flooding back to him.
His wife had been very sick during the final weeks of her pregnancy.
He had trusted the clinic completely because it was the top hospital in the city.
Elena took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her cheek with her free hand.
Elena: My sister gave birth on that exact same night in the same hallway.
Mr. Vericci: What does your sister have to do with my family?
Elena: My sister died during birth, just like your poor wife did.
Arthur felt a cold shiver run down his back as he listened to her story.
He leaned forward and rested his hands firmly on the desk.
Mr. Vericci: Get to the point before I call the police to escort you out.
Elena: The hospital head doctor made a terrible mistake that night.
Elena: He switched the identification bands on the two newborn boys by accident.
Arthur stood up from his chair so quickly that it nearly fell backward.
His jaw dropped in disbelief as he stared at the young maid.
Mr. Vericci: That is impossible, and you are lying to get money!
Elena: Look at his right foot under the blanket right now.
Arthur stepped around the desk with trembling hands and pulled back the blue cloth.
On the baby's heel was a small red birthmark shaped like a tiny star.
Arthur felt his stomach drop as he remembered something important.
His wife had shown him a photo of her ultrasound weeks before her death.
She had explicitly noted that their baby had no marks on his skin at all.
Mr. Vericci: This cannot be true... This is insane!
Elena: I spent three weeks crying for my nephew before noticing this mark yesterday.
Elena: When I washed his clothes yesterday, I realized this boy is my sister's son.
Arthur stumbled back against his desk while trying to process the words.
If this baby belonged to her sister, then where was his real son?
He stared at Elena with intense fear in his eyes.
Mr. Vericci: Where is the child that my wife gave birth to?
Elena: He was taken to an orphanage because my family could not pay fees.