Chapter 3 - The Weakest Link
News of Julian’s arrest hit the morning tabloids like a bomb. Vanguard Heir Charged with Attempted Murder. The financial markets reacted violently, but Thorne had already secured my assets. I spent my days in the sterile hospital bed, plotting my next move, flanked by private security.
The first crack in the family's defense came on a rainy Tuesday. The door opened, and Chloe slipped in. Julian’s fiancée looked nothing like the polished socialite from a week ago. She looked terrified, exhausted, and desperate.
"They're going to use me as a scapegoat," Chloe blurted out, standing at the foot of my bed. "Julian's lawyers are drafting a narrative. They're going to say I was the one who tampered with the decoy server room, that I acted alone to protect him, and that Julian was just 'reckless' on the balcony."
I tilted my head, studying her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want a deal," she said, her voice shaking. She pulled a small, silver flash drive from her coat pocket. "Julian wasn't just trying to get your inheritance. Your grandmother was auditing the family business. Julian and your uncle were embezzling millions through shell companies in the Caymans. She found out. She was going to cut them off entirely and turn them over to the Feds."
The puzzle pieces snapped together. It wasn't just about the money she left me; it was about the prison time they were trying to avoid. I had inherited the evidence they desperately needed to bury.
"Julian thought if he got rid of you, he would become the default executor and could shred the audit," Chloe confessed, tears spilling over her mascara. "I’ll testify. I’ll give you everything on this drive. Just... don't let Thorne destroy my life."
May you like
I looked at the drive, then at the girl who had nearly helped them cover up my murder.
"Leave the drive," I said, my voice like ice. "If it's verified, I won't crush you. But if you ever cross me again, you'll wish Julian had pushed you off that balcony instead."
