Chapter 6 - The Hidden Flash Drive
While Vivienne searched the motel, I returned to the penthouse to pack up Clara’s home office.
Inside a false bottom of her jewelry box, I found a small, encrypted flash drive. Clara had always been brilliant with code. It took a specialized tech team three days to crack the password—which was my birthday.
When the video files finally loaded on my laptop, Clara’s beautiful, pale face appeared on the screen. She looked exhausted, her pregnant belly resting against her desk.
“Mom,” Clara’s voice crackled through the speakers, bringing fresh tears to my eyes. “If you’re watching this, it means I didn't make it. And it means Julian won.”
She looked at the camera, her eyes filled with a terrifying clarity. “He’s poisoning me, Mom. I found the search history on his encrypted laptop. I swapped my vitamins out a week ago, but I think it’s too late. The damage to my heart... I can feel it failing.”
May you like
She took a ragged breath. “I stayed because I needed time to transfer the assets. I couldn't let him have the company. I couldn't let him win. I’ve uploaded all his offshore accounts to this drive. Burn him to the ground, Mom. For me. For the baby.”
I closed the laptop. My hands were shaking, not with grief, but with absolute, glacial rage. I didn't just have a motive anymore. I had a confession from the grave.
