Chapter 12 - the account marked aurora
By sunrise, the story had reached every major news outlet.
The corridor footage was released before false versions could circulate. The video showed Isabella’s actions clearly and prevented her attorneys from claiming Khloe had invented the assault.
The police announced charges against Isabella and Owen.
Vale Global suspended Julian.
The foundation’s board froze all accounts connected to Aurelia Holdings.
For the public, the scandal appeared to be moving toward resolution.
Inside the Vale residence, no one believed it was over.
Khloe sat at the breakfast table reading the trust amendment.
The name Helena Cross appeared twenty-three times. No birth records, photographs, or addresses were attached.
Marcus entered carrying two cups of tea.
“You should sleep.”
“You have said that every hour.”
“One day, it may work.”
“Not today.”
He placed a cup beside her.
“Ethan’s team confirmed Helena died in a private clinic twenty-six years ago.”
“Cause?”
“Complications after surgery.”
“And her child?”
“No official record.”
Khloe turned another page.
“Thomas created the trust three weeks after Helena died. That means he believed the child survived.”
Marcus looked toward the window.
“Or someone told him she did.”
Margaret entered.
She had changed out of her evening gown, but she had not slept.
“I found this in Thomas’s personal files.”
She placed an old photograph on the table.
It showed Helena Cross standing beside Thomas at a university event. Helena was young, dark-haired, and smiling.
Khloe looked at the image for a long moment.
“She resembles someone.”
Marcus saw it too.
“Serena.”
Margaret nodded.
Ethan brought Serena into the library under supervision.
When she saw Helena’s photograph, she stopped walking.
“Where did you get that?”
“You know her,” Khloe said.
Serena sat down.
“She was my mother.”
Marcus stared at her.
“Your legal records list different parents.”
“I was adopted.”
“Did you know Thomas Vale was your father?”
Serena’s eyes filled with tears.
“I suspected. My mother left letters, but the names were removed.”
“Why did you work for Brighton?”
“Someone paid for my education and arranged the position.”
“Aurelia?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know it belonged to the Vale Foundation?”
“Not at first.”
Khloe placed the trust amendment in front of her.
“You may be Helena’s heir.”
Serena read the first page.
Her hands began to shake.
“I don’t want this.”
“You may not have a choice,” Marcus said. “Someone has been using your mother’s name to direct Owen.”
Serena looked toward him.
“I never sent those instructions.”
“We know.”
Margaret remained standing near the fireplace.
“Thomas never told me.”
Serena’s expression hardened.
“He abandoned my mother.”
“I did not know she had a child.”
“You were married to him.”
“Not then.”
“You benefited from her disappearance.”
Margaret accepted the accusation without defending herself.
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised everyone.
Margaret sat across from Serena.
“If Thomas failed your mother, I cannot repair that. But I will not allow the people who erased her to erase you.”
Ethan entered with new financial records.
“We found an account inside Aurelia marked AURORA. It has received transfers for twenty-six years.”
“Who owns it?” Marcus asked.
“Serena Holt.”
Serena stood.
“No.”
“The account contains $64 million.”
“I have never seen that money.”
“It was managed by a private trustee.”
“Who?”
Ethan placed the authorization forms on the table.
Every transfer had been approved with Thomas Vale’s digital signature.
Marcus examined the dates.
“The latest transfer was last week.”
Khloe felt the room turn cold.
“Thomas has been dead for eight years.”
“Someone preserved his credentials,” Ethan said.
Serena looked at the total.
“Why would anyone place money in my name?”
“To make it look as though you controlled Aurelia,” Khloe answered.
Marcus understood.
“If the investigation reaches the account, Serena becomes the apparent mastermind.”
Serena covered her mouth.
Khloe continued reading.
The account contained payments to Owen, Isabella, Brighton Strategy, and dozens of unnamed consultants.
But the final page was different.
A withdrawal of $5 million had been scheduled for that morning.
The destination was a secure storage company at the harbor.
Ethan checked his watch.
“The transfer completed twelve minutes ago.”
“Freeze it,” Marcus said.
“We tried. The funds were converted into a bearer bond before the account locked.”
“Who collected it?”
“The storage company requires in-person identification.”
Ethan placed a security image on the screen.
A woman stood at the counter wearing a dark coat and sunglasses.
The clerk’s report identified her as Serena Holt.
Serena stared at the image.
“That is not me.”
Khloe enlarged it.
The woman had Serena’s height and hair.
But a scar was visible near her wrist.
Margaret dropped the photograph of Helena.
In the old image, Helena had the same scar.
“That cannot be Helena,” Marcus said.
“She would be in her fifties.”
Khloe looked closer.
The woman at the harbor did not appear young.
She appeared exactly the age Helena would have been.
Margaret whispered, “The clinic lied about her death.”
Ethan’s phone rang.
He answered.
The color left his face.
“What happened?” Marcus asked.
“The officers transporting Isabella were intercepted.”
“Is she gone?”
“No. Isabella is still in custody.”
“Then what did they take?”
May you like
Ethan looked toward the trust document.
“The original corridor footage.”
