Chapter 7 - The Last Trap
I didn't go alone.
I brought Marcus, three detectives, and Victoria.
We followed the instructions to an abandoned country club outside the city.
The building had been closed for years.
Inside, the lights were on.
Arthur stood in the ballroom.
Eleanor was beside him.
"You brought people," Arthur said.
"I brought witnesses."
Eleanor laughed.
"You've always been stubborn."
"No."
I looked at her.
"I've finally stopped being obedient."
Arthur stepped forward.
"Your company is vulnerable."
"So are you."
He smiled.
"We already have enough evidence to destroy you."
"You don't understand."
He held up a folder.
"Your mother signed this."
I recognized the document.
It was a transfer agreement.
My company.
Millions in assets.
My signature.
Forged again.
"You'll go to prison," Arthur said.
"Maybe."
He frowned.
"But so will you."
I pressed a button on my phone.
The ballroom speakers came alive.
Eleanor's recorded voice filled the room.
Once Sebastian is removed, we control everything.
Her face went white.
Arthur turned toward her.
"You said the recording was destroyed."
Eleanor stared at him.
"You told me it was safe."
They began arguing.
Victoria stepped forward.
"You destroyed my life."
Eleanor looked at her.
For the first time, I saw fear in my mother's eyes.
"You."
Victoria nodded.
"I'm alive."
"You were supposed to be dead."
"No."
Victoria's voice was calm.
"You needed me to be dead."
Police entered.
Arthur attempted to run.
Marcus blocked the exit.
Eleanor screamed.
"This is my family!"
I looked at her.
"You stopped being family when you decided cruelty was a price for control."
She was handcuffed.
Arthur was arrested.
But the story wasn't finished.
The investigation revealed something even darker.
Eleanor had been using a network of shell companies to drain money from Vance Global.
Daniel had been forced to cooperate.
Several employees had been threatened.
And one of my father's former attorneys had helped hide Victoria's identity.
The financial damage was enormous.
But the company survived.
More importantly, Clara survived.
Weeks later, she finally came home.
Our son came with her.
We named him Nathaniel.
The first night in our house, I stood outside the nursery.
Clara walked beside me.
"He looks peaceful."
"He does."
She rested her head against my shoulder.
"Do you regret finding everything?"
I looked at her.
"I regret not seeing it sooner."
She shook her head.
"You came home."
I kissed her forehead.
"And I will always come home."
For the first time, the house felt like ours again.
But there was one unfinished matter.
My mother had left behind a locked safe.
Inside were documents my father had hidden.
One contained a letter addressed to me.
I opened it.
May you like
The first sentence made my blood run cold.
If you are reading this, then Eleanor has finally lost control.
