Chapter 10 - Site Twelve
The mountain road was still covered in snow when the convoy reached Site Twelve.
The building stood behind a rusted gate, partially hidden by pine trees.
It looked abandoned.
Fresh tire tracks suggested otherwise.
Adrian insisted Emma remain in the armored vehicle until officers cleared the property.
She waited beside Caleb, watching flashlights move behind dark windows.
Ten minutes later, Jonah returned.
“Richard is inside.”
“Vivian?”
“No.”
“Grant?”
“No.”
“My father?”
Jonah’s expression was unreadable.
“You need to see this yourself.”
Inside the building, they found Richard tied to a chair.
He was frightened, angry, and uninjured.
Adrian untied him.
“Where is Mother?”
Richard rubbed his wrists.
“Grant took her.”
“Why?”
“He thinks she knows where Thomas is.”
Emma stepped forward.
“Is my father alive?”
Richard looked at her.
For the first time since she had known him, the arrogance disappeared.
“Yes.”
Emma felt the room shift beneath her.
“You knew.”
“I knew he survived the crash.”
“You attended my father’s funeral.”
“I believed he would contact you afterward.”
“He did not.”
“That was not the agreement.”
Emma wanted to shout, but her voice came out quiet.
“What agreement?”
Richard looked toward Adrian.
“Thomas discovered Grant was stealing from both families. He planned to expose him. Grant learned of the investigation and arranged the crash.”
“Grant tried to kill my father?”
“Yes.”
“Why pretend Thomas died?”
“To protect you.”
“You watched me bury an empty coffin.”
“The danger was not over.”
“You let Grant manage the funeral.”
“We needed him to believe Thomas was dead.”
Adrian stepped closer to Richard.
“Then why did you continue working with Grant?”
“Because we needed to know how deep the theft went.”
“By helping him frame Emma?”
Richard looked away.
“I did not know the account existed until last month.”
“But you took money from it.”
“Grant told us the payments were legitimate trust distributions.”
“You threw Emma and Lily into a storm.”
Richard’s voice hardened.
“The evidence showed Emma was stealing from you.”
“You chose the evidence because it gave you what you wanted.”
Richard said nothing.
That silence was an answer.
Emma searched the building.
A wall displayed maps of Vale properties, Hart accounts, and Grant’s known associates. Thomas had been investigating the conspiracy for years.
On one desk, Emma found letters addressed to her.
Dozens of them.
None had been sent.
The earliest was dated two weeks after the funeral.
My dearest Emma,
I watched you stand beside an empty coffin today. I told myself the lie would keep you alive. I do not know whether you will ever forgive me.
Emma’s hands shook.
The final letter was dated six months earlier.
Grant knows about Lily.
I believed the succession agreement would protect our families. Instead, it gave him a reason to control the only child who could inherit both trusts.
Emma looked toward Richard.
“What happens if Grant controls Lily?”
Richard closed his eyes.
“When Lily turns eighteen, she inherits controlling interests in both the Vale and Hart assets.”
“And before she turns eighteen?”
“Her legal guardian controls them.”
The custody petition was not about protecting Lily.
It was a plan to gain access to nearly $4 billion.
A noise came from the rear office.
Officers surrounded the door.
Jonah opened it.
Vivian sat inside alone.
She held a gun with trembling hands.
Across from her, a laptop displayed a live video call.
May you like
Grant Mercer smiled from the screen.
“I was wondering when you would find her.”
