CHAPTER 2 — THE WOMAN BEHIND THE LIES
Daniel slowly entered the foyer.
His suit was wrinkled from the overnight flight, and exhaustion darkened his eyes.
Vanessa immediately ran toward him.
“Daniel, thank goodness you’re here.”
He stepped away before she could touch him.
Vanessa stopped.
For the first time, real fear entered her face.
Daniel looked toward Elena.
“Are you and the baby safe?”
“The doctors need to examine us,” Elena answered. “But I can still feel the baby moving.”
Relief crossed his face, followed by something much colder.
He turned to Vanessa.
“You told me Elena was having violent episodes.”
“She was.”
“You sent me photographs of broken furniture.”
“She destroyed it.”
Detective Ruiz opened the folder.
“The photographs were taken in a warehouse owned by Vanessa’s company,” he said. “The metadata confirms it.”
Daniel stared at his sister.
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“She was taking you away from me.”
Daniel seemed unable to understand the words.
“I’m your brother.”
“You were supposed to protect me,” Vanessa snapped. “After Dad died, you promised I would never lose this house. Then Elena arrived, and suddenly everything changed.”
“This was never your house,” Daniel said.
“It should have been!”
Her voice echoed through the mansion.
Margaret stepped backward, horrified.
Vanessa turned toward her.
“You said you understood. You said Elena didn’t belong here.”
Margaret shook her head.
“You told me she was dangerous.”
“And you believed me because you wanted to.”
The accusation struck the caretaker into silence.
Vanessa looked around the room and realized there was no one left to manipulate.
Her voice softened.
“Daniel, please. I was scared. I made mistakes, but I never wanted the baby hurt.”
Elena studied her carefully.
“That isn’t true.”
Vanessa’s eyes shifted toward her.
Elena reached inside her pocket and removed a second phone.
“This phone belonged to Dr. Mercer.”
Daniel frowned.
Dr. Mercer had been the private physician Vanessa recommended during Elena’s pregnancy.
Detective Ruiz unlocked the screen and opened a series of messages.
Vanessa’s own words appeared at the top.
Increase the dosage.
Make her confused enough that Daniel stops trusting her.
After the child is born, we’ll have her declared unfit.
Daniel read the messages twice.
When he looked up, his face had changed.
“You tried to make my wife appear mentally unstable.”
Vanessa said nothing.
“You wanted custody of our child.”
Still, she remained silent.
Elena’s voice was quiet.
“She didn’t only want custody. Once I was declared unfit, Vanessa planned to convince you to place the baby’s inheritance under her control.”
Daniel stared at his sister as though she were a stranger.
“How long?”
Vanessa’s lips trembled.
“How long have you been planning this?”
“Since you changed the trust.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
The answer was worse than any denial.
Detective Ruiz motioned to the officers.
One of them stepped behind Vanessa and instructed her to place her hands where they could be seen.
As the officer approached, Vanessa suddenly reached into Margaret’s coat pocket.
She pulled out a brass key.
Elena recognized it immediately.
It opened the mansion’s private document room.
Vanessa ran toward the west hallway.
“Stop!” Daniel shouted.
She reached the document room, forced the key into the lock, and disappeared inside.
A second later, the heavy security door slammed shut.
Detective Ruiz rushed forward, but Elena remained still.
She knew exactly why Vanessa had gone in there.
The original trust documents were stored inside.
So was the evidence that could connect her to every stolen dollar.
Then smoke began to creep beneath the door.
Vanessa was trying to destroy it all.
But Elena did not panic.
May you like
She looked at Detective Ruiz and said three words.
“Open the vault.”
