Chapter 3 - Serena's Choice
For several seconds, the only sound in the study was the faint ticking of Dad's old wall clock.
Julian had admitted it.
Not everything.
Not enough to satisfy investigators or settle an estate.
But enough to shatter the story he had spent the last hour screaming at everyone around him.
Serena stared at him as though she had married a stranger.
"You were going to pay what back?"
Julian rubbed both hands over his face.
"The necklace."
"With whose money?"
"It was temporary."
"Whose money?"
Her voice rose.
Julian looked toward Samuel.
"I'm not answering questions without my attorney."
Claire nodded.
"That is your right."
For the first time, Julian seemed relieved by something another person had said.
He took out his phone.
Samuel stopped him.
"Before you make any calls, there is something you should know."
Julian froze.
"What?"
"Your father's estate filed a civil preservation request yesterday."
"A what?"
"A request to prevent the destruction or transfer of assets potentially traceable to misappropriated funds."
Julian's expression hardened.
"You froze my accounts?"
"The court froze certain assets this morning."
Serena turned toward him.
"Which assets?"
Julian ignored her.
"You can't do that without telling me."
Samuel remained calm.
"You were notified electronically at nine fourteen this morning."
Julian checked his phone.
The color drained from his face again.
I almost pitied him.
Almost.
He had spent the morning at our father's funeral refreshing social media comments and complaining about the catering, yet apparently he had not noticed the legal notice that could dismantle his life.
Serena stepped closer to Samuel.
"Does this include our house?"
He hesitated.
"Possibly."
She closed her eyes.
Julian snapped.
"Don't talk to him."
Serena opened her eyes again.
"I need to know if my home was bought with stolen money."
"Our home."
"Answer me."
Julian did not.
That was answer enough.
She walked toward the doorway.
He caught her by the elbow.
This time she spun around so quickly that everyone stepped back.
"Do not touch me again."
Her voice was low.
It was more frightening than a scream.
Julian released her.
She looked at me.
"Elena, can I speak to you alone?"
Before I could answer, Julian laughed.
"Of course."
He pointed at me.
"Go whisper with the woman trying to destroy us."
Serena's face went still.
"You did that yourself."
The words landed cleanly.
Julian recoiled as if she had struck him.
Samuel suggested we use the kitchen.
Claire followed us.
Julian protested.
Claire reminded him she was not a police officer and Serena was free to speak with whomever she wanted.
That only made him angrier.
In the kitchen, Serena sat at the same oak table where Dad had eaten breakfast every morning for twenty-three years.
She removed her wedding ring.
She did not put it away.
She simply stared at it in her palm.
"I knew he had debt," she said.
Her voice sounded exhausted.
"I didn't know this."
I sat across from her.
"What did you know?"
She looked at Claire.
Claire said nothing.
Serena took a slow breath.
"About a year ago, Julian started getting calls at night."
She rubbed her thumb across the ring.
"He told me a business deal had gone bad."
"What kind of deal?"
"Real estate."
"Did he show you anything?"
"No."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"He never showed me anything until it was expensive enough to brag about."
Claire leaned forward slightly.
"Did he mention lenders?"
Serena nodded.
"One man."
"Name?"
She hesitated.
"Calvin Roarke."
Claire's expression changed.
It was subtle.
But I saw it.
"You know him?" I asked.
"I know the name."
Serena noticed too.
"Who is he?"
Claire chose her words carefully.
"He has been connected to several high-risk private lending operations."
"Connected how?"
"Through litigation."
Serena looked down.
"Julian owed him money."
"How much?"
"I don't know."
She swallowed.
"But I heard one call."
Her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall.
"Julian said he needed sixty days before someone started asking questions about his father's accounts."
Every muscle in my body tightened.
"When?"
"Five months ago."
Claire reached into her portfolio for a notebook.
Serena gave her the date as closely as she could remember.
Then she told us something worse.
Three weeks later, Julian had come home carrying a black document case.
He had locked himself in his office.
The next morning, the case was gone.
Dad suffered his first major health crisis that same week.
I stared at her.
"Are you saying Julian had documents from Dad's house?"
"I don't know."
She looked terrified now.
"But the case had David's initials on it."
My stomach turned.
Dad kept a black leather case with his initials embossed near the handle.
It contained tax records, old deeds, and medical directives.
I had looked for it after his hospitalization.
Dad told me he must have misplaced it.
He had known Julian took it.
And he had said nothing.
Maybe because he was afraid.
Maybe because he was still hoping his son would return it.
Or maybe because the trap had already started.
Claire stood.
"We need to document this formally."
Serena nodded.
Then she looked toward the hallway.
"There's more."
I felt the air leave my lungs.
"What?"
She lowered her voice.
"Last night, Julian told me that after the funeral everything would finally be fixed."
"Fixed how?"
"He said once he had the safe key, no one could prove anything."
Claire and I looked at each other.
Serena kept going.
"I thought he meant the will."
Her fingers tightened around the wedding ring.
"Now I don't think he did."
A crash came from the study.
We all stood at once.
Then someone shouted.
I ran toward the hallway.
Julian had knocked one of our cousins into the bookshelf.
The safe door was open.
Folder Three was gone.
May you like
And so was Julian.
