CHAPTER 3 — The Trap
Nathan announced a celebration.
"The doctors say I'm improving."
"I want to thank everyone who supported me."
The Whitmore estate filled with politicians, executives, attorneys, reporters, and family friends.
More than one hundred guests attended.
Vanessa wore black silk.
Eric arrived separately to avoid suspicion.
Everything appeared perfect.
Until dessert.
Nathan tapped his glass.
"I have something important to announce."
The room fell silent.
"I've decided to update my will."
Vanessa nearly smiled.
Nathan continued.
"Because surviving death changes a man."
He looked directly at his wife.
"I've also recovered something else."
Silence.
"My memory."
Vanessa stopped breathing.
Nathan pressed a remote control.
The ballroom lights dimmed.
A giant screen lowered from the ceiling.
The first video appeared.
Eric entering a luxury hotel.
Vanessa arriving twenty minutes later.
Another clip.
Their embrace.
Another.
The insurance documents.
Another.
Audio recordings.
Eric's voice echoed across the ballroom.
"One push... and everything becomes ours."
Gasps filled the room.
Vanessa stumbled backward.
"Those are fake!"
Nathan remained calm.
"Keep watching."
The final recording began.
The hidden microphone Daniel had placed inside Eric's car days earlier.
Vanessa's voice.
"I still hear him begging."
Eric laughed.
"He should've died faster."
Absolute silence.
Every guest stared.
No one moved.
May you like
Then Nathan spoke the words that shattered them.
"I remembered your faces before I even reached the bottom of that cliff."
