Chapter 3 - The Trap in the East WingJulian stared at the velvet box, his breath catching in his throat. The document inside bore his mother's shaky signature, purporting to transfer the majority of the family estate's voting shares to an independent trust—one managed by an unknown third party.
"How... how did you find this?" Julian asked, his voice dropping an octave as he looked up at Jessica.
"I was looking for extra blankets for your mother's room," Jessica said smoothly, though a subtle twitch in her eye betrayed her anxiety. "Julian, Clara is dangerous. You have to lock her out of the estate before she does something irreversible."
Instead of calling security immediately, Julian nodded slowly. "You're right, Jessica. Let's handle this. Go wait in the drawing room. I'm going to call Clara in here to confront her face-to-face."
As Jessica smiled triumphantly and hurried out of the library, Julian didn't call Clara. He picked up his desk phone and dialed direct.
"Victoria? It's happening," Julian said quietly. "She just brought out the forged codicil."
"Good," Victoria's voice crackled over the line. "Our security team has the east wing perimeter locked down. And more importantly, we just woke Mother up from her sedative. She’s lucid, Julian, and she wants to tell you what really happened that night."
Ten minutes later, Julian stood in his mother’s bedroom. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn back, letting in the sharp afternoon light. Mrs. Vance propped herself up slightly, her breathing steady thanks to the oxygen machine humming softly in the corner. Clara stood quietly by the window, watching with calm dignity.
"Mother," Julian whispered, kneeling beside the bed and taking her frail, wrinkled hand. "Jessica said... Jessica said Clara tried to hurt you."
Mrs. Vance let out a weak, raspy scoff, squeezing her son's hand with surprising strength. Her eyes flashed with the fierce intelligence that had built an empire.
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"Jessica... is a liar," Mrs. Vance managed to say, her voice cracking. "She... she came into my room while I was sleeping. She tried to smother me with the pillow to get the safe combination. Clara... Clara saved my life."
Julian felt the blood drain entirely from his face. The pieces clicked together with terrifying clarity—the staged screams, the fabricated evidence, the rushing tears.
