Chapter 5 - The Trap Springs
“Winston,” Beatrice stammered, her eyes darting frantically to the exits, realizing Marcus was nowhere to be found. “And... Lily. I... we thought you were at the clinic. Getting the help you so desperately need.”
She tried to recover her composure, turning to the wealthy donors watching the exchange. “As I mentioned on the news, my daughter-in-law has been struggling with severe delusions—”
“Delusions?” I interrupted, my voice clear and ringing with absolute confidence. “Is it a delusion that you forged my signature on a Power of Attorney, Beatrice? Or was it a delusion when you sent your driver to my home yesterday to plant evidence so you could steal my daughter?”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“She’s sick!” Beatrice shrieked, her aristocratic mask slipping, revealing the desperate, cornered rat beneath. “Winston, you can’t believe this gold-digger! She sold her own jewelry to buy drugs! She’s unstable! Security, remove this woman!”
The hotel security guards took a step forward, but Grandfather raised a single hand. The guards froze. Everyone in the city knew who signed their paychecks.
“The only thing Lily sold her jewelry for was to pay for my great-granddaughter’s emergency medical care,” Grandfather said coldly. “Because you canceled her health insurance. You drained her bank accounts. You stole $1.6 million from the trust I established for my grandson’s family.”
“That’s a lie!” Beatrice screamed. “Julian knows the truth! Julian signed the custody papers over to me! He knows what she is!”
“Does he?” a deep, commanding voice echoed from the back of the ballroom.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
May you like
Standing in the doorway, dressed in his Class-A military uniform, his chest adorned with medals, was Major Julian Hayes. He looked exhausted, his jaw covered in dark stubble, but his eyes were blazing with an unholy fury.
My breath caught in my throat. “Julian...”
