Chapter 5 - The Sister's Shadow
While Elise's fingers flew across the backlit keyboard of Julian’s encrypted laptop, a new threat arrived at the gates of Vance Manor.
"Sir," the guard at the front gate radioed in. "A vehicle is demanding entry. It's Vivian."
Julian frowned. Vivian. Elise’s younger sister.
When Elise had "vanished," Vivian had played the grieving sister perfectly for the cameras. But behind closed doors, she had instantly inherited Elise’s multi-million dollar trust fund and moved into a penthouse in Manhattan. Julian had never liked her, but she was family.
"Let her through, but search her vehicle," Julian commanded.
Ten minutes later, Vivian burst into the grand hall. She was dressed in a pristine white designer coat, her hair perfectly blown out. She looked like a cover model stepping into a warzone.
"Julian!" Vivian cried out, rushing toward the stairs. "My God, the news! The stock market is crashing! Marcus's lawyers called me. They said you've gone insane! They said you're holding Marcus hostage!"
Julian stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at his sister-in-law.
"Who told you Marcus was here?" Julian asked quietly.
Vivian froze halfway up the steps. "What? The lawyers, Julian. I just said that."
"Marcus's lawyers don't know he's here. I confiscated his phone before he could make a call," Julian stated, descending one step. "The only people who know he is in this house are my men... and his co-conspirators."
Vivian’s face paled. "Julian, you're not making sense. Where is my sister? You told the guards you found Elise. Is she dead? Did you kill her?"
She was pivoting. Trying to build a narrative. Trying to frame him.
"I'm right here, Vivian."
The voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
Vivian looked up. The color drained completely from her face.
Elise stood at the landing. She was wearing one of Julian’s oversized cashmere sweaters, her hair combed back. She looked frail, but she stood perfectly straight.
"Elise..." Vivian gasped, taking a step backward. "Oh my god. You're alive."
"You don't look very happy to see me, Viv," Elise said, her voice dripping with venom.
Elise slowly walked down the stairs, Julian shadowing her every step.
"Four years ago, Marcus came to you," Elise said, stopping a few feet from her sister. "He told you that if I disappeared, you would get the trust fund. He needed a family member to sign off on the 'presumed dead' paperwork to expedite the transfer of my patents. Did you enjoy the money, Vivian? Was it worth my life?"
Vivian’s lip trembled. She looked at Julian, then at the armed guards standing at the doors.
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"You can't prove anything," Vivian hissed, her facade dropping completely. The grieving sister vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating sociopath. "Marcus is a genius. He covered our tracks. You’re just a crazy, traumatized woman. No one is going to believe you over a billionaire lawyer and a grieving sister!"
"I don't need them to believe me," Elise smiled, holding up a small silver flash drive. "I just needed access to Marcus's private servers. And guess what I found in his hidden folders, Vivian? Your bank routing numbers."
