Chapter 4 - The Penthouse Sanctuary
Clara awoke to the smell of fresh espresso and the soft hum of a city skyline. She was no longer in the gutter, nor was she in the sterile, suffocating halls of the Sterling estate. She was lying in a massive, silk-sheeted bed overlooking the glittering expanse of the city.
A private physician had already bandaged her knees, treated her jaw, and administered painkillers.
Elias was sitting in a leather armchair in the corner of the room, a tablet in his hand. He looked up as she stirred. "Graves is on the run. He pawned the diamond engagement ring to secure cash, but he kept the silver band. Why, Clara? Why is a piece of cheap silver worth dying for?"
Clara sat up, wincing as her shoulder throbbed. "Julian knew his parents were circling like vultures. He knew the moment he passed, they would forge documents to take the company and cut me out."
"So he hid a contingency plan?" Elias asked, his sharp mind already putting the pieces together.
"Not just a plan. A key," Clara explained, her eyes fiercely determined. "Inside the lining of the silver band is a micro-engraved vault key for a private lockbox at the Geneva Continental branch downtown. The box contains Julian's true, video-recorded will, his blood samples, and the unredacted financial ledgers."
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Elias raised an eyebrow. "Blood samples?"
"Julian didn't die of a degenerative disease, Elias," Clara said, tears finally spilling hot and fast down her cheeks. "His parents were poisoning him. They wanted control of the empire before he could liquidate it. We needed proof. The vault has it all."
