Chapter 2: The Secret Hidden Inside the Will
Valeria couldn't breathe.
"My father owned this house?"
Marcus nodded.
"Secretly."
He explained that years earlier, her father had purchased the estate through a holding company.
Only three people had known.
Her father.
His attorney.
Julian.
Her father's will suddenly made perfect sense.
He had discovered something before he died.
Instead of leaving shared marital assets, he quietly transferred every controlling interest directly to Valeria.
He had been protecting her.
Marcus opened another document.
"There was also a private letter."
The attorney had been instructed not to release it unless Richard Vance died unexpectedly.
Valeria unfolded the handwritten pages.
Her father's familiar handwriting covered every line.
My dearest daughter...
If you are reading this, then I failed to expose Julian before my death.
Do not trust him.
I discovered he has been moving company money into shell corporations.
I hired investigators.
They disappeared.
Someone warned him before I could finish.
Tears blurred the ink.
The final sentence stopped her cold.
If Julian ever believes you are powerless... let him.
Marcus gently closed the letter.
"He underestimated the wrong woman."
Valeria wiped away her tears.
May you like
"For the first time in months..."
"...I agree."
