Chapter 5 - The Shadow of the Past
With Adrian in custody, the real work began. I wasn't just dealing with a failed marriage; I was untangling a web of influence. That’s when Arthur brought in Julian, a forensic accountant who looked more like an investigative journalist than a tax specialist.
Julian was sharp, his eyes constantly scanning the room as if he were looking for hidden microphones. He sat in my father’s library, surrounded by the boxes of documents I had pulled from the walls.
"Your father wasn't just being blackmailed," Julian said, dropping a thick file on the table. "He was being poisoned—figuratively and literally. Look at these medical records from the final six months of his life."
I stared at the lines of data. There were discrepancies in his medication schedule, unauthorized withdrawals from his personal accounts, and a series of "consultations" with a private health firm owned by a shell company linked to Celeste.
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"She didn't just want his money," I whispered, the room spinning. "She was accelerating the timeline."
Julian reached across the table, his demeanor shifting from cold professional to something more human. "We have enough to prove financial motive, but the medical side is a different beast. We need the physical evidence—the 'how.' And to get that, we need to get into the one place Celeste keeps her most private records: her personal safe at the family gala next week."
