Chapter 7 - Confrontation at the Manor
The judge ruled that all physical evidence was admissible and denied Evelyn bail, ordering her held in federal custody until the trial.
However, as the courtroom cleared, Arthur Pendelton received an urgent notification on his secure phone.
"Elena," Arthur whispered, coming up to us in the corridor. "Julian Blackwood just entered the main server vault at Thorne Biometrics headquarters using your late father’s master override code. He's attempting to purge the corporate archives before the federal receivers take over tomorrow morning!"
"If he purges those servers, we lose the paper trail proving Evelyn diluted the clinic supplies!" Vance said, his jaw tightening.
"We need the physical security key," I realized. "My father kept a master backup physical drive. It wasn't at the corporate office. It was hidden inside the study at Bellefleur Manor!"
"We go now," Vance said.
Twenty minutes later, two unmarked federal SUVs pulled up to the wrought-iron gates of Bellefleur Manor. The estate was dark, quiet, and stripped of its wedding decorations.
Vance, armed with a federal search warrant, bypassed the security system, and we stepped into the grand foyer. The air smelled of stale flowers and damp dust.
"Search the library," Vance instructed his agents. "Secure all physical drives."
I walked down the quiet hallway toward the master study—the place where I had once been forced to stand quietly while Grant and his mother discussed family business as if I didn't exist.
I opened the heavy mahogany door.
Sitting behind the desk, holding a heavy steel safe box, was Grant.
He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, a half-empty glass of scotch sitting beside him.
"I knew you'd come here," Grant sneered, standing up. "You just can't stay away from our family, can you, Elena?"
"Grant, give me the drive," I said, standing my ground as Vance stepped into the room behind me, his hand resting on his sidearm.
"This drive destroys us!" Grant yelled, slamming his fist onto the desk. "It proves my mother embezzled fifty million dollars from your father's trust! It proves Julian knew about the diluted insulin! If this gets out, we lose everything! We go to prison!"
"You deserve to go to prison!" I shouted back. "People died because your mother diluted those medications! I almost died because she wanted my money!"
Grant pulled a small silver key from his pocket and held it over the roaring fireplace in the corner of the study.
"If I drop this key into the fire, the safe auto-locks and melts the internal drive," Grant hissed. "Walk away, Elena. Tell Mercer to drop the federal charges, or your father's legacy burns right now."
Before Grant could react, a shadow moved from the corner of the room.
Chloe stepped out from behind the heavy velvet curtains. She was holding a heavy bronze statuette.
"Chloe?" Grant gasped, turning toward her. "What are you doing here?"
"I’m fixing my life," Chloe said, her voice shaking violently.
Without warning, she swung the bronze statuette with all her strength, striking Grant across the wrist.
Grant yelled in pain, dropping the silver key onto the Persian rug. Vance moved like lightning, tackling Grant to the floor and securing his arms behind his back in steel handcuffs.
Chloe fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
I rushed over to my sister, pulling her into my arms.
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"I'm sorry, Elena," Chloe sobbed into my shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I saw the documents Julian left on his desk... I saw what they did to Dad's company... I saw what they did to you! I was so blind! I wanted the dress... I wanted the fancy house... and I traded my own sister for a family of monsters!"
I held Chloe tight, tears spilling down my own cheeks. "It's okay, Chloe. It's over now."
