Chapter 4 - THE SISTER WHO WANTED HER SHARE
Celia had blamed Victor for controlling the family inheritance.
Their father left Victor majority ownership of the company.
Celia received properties, investments and a board seat.
She considered it an insult.
She claimed Victor treated her like a child.
Victor claimed Celia spent money without understanding consequences.
Their arguments became public.
Three years earlier, Celia sold confidential information to a competitor.
Victor removed her from the board.
She never forgave him.
Now she sat inside his office drinking champagne with the people who had tried to kill him.
Camilla opened the secure financial portal.
A countdown appeared.
Twelve minutes remained before the contingency fund became available.
Laurent placed the stolen recording device on the desk.
“We destroy this after the money clears.”
Camilla looked at him.
“No.”
“You agreed.”
“I agreed we would discuss it.”
Celia laughed.
“You two deserve each other.”
Dr. Armand remained near the window.
“I was told no physical evidence would remain.”
“There is no body,” Laurent said.
“That is physical evidence.”
“Without a body, the death declaration may take months.”
Camilla tapped the screen.
“The contingency account does not require a death certificate.”
“It requires an event confirmation.”
“Victor designed it for kidnappings, disappearances and disasters.”
Victor listened from the hidden operations room.
Camilla understood the account because she had watched him create it.
What she did not understand was the secret purpose behind it.
The system analyzed the identity, location and device of every person attempting access.
It also activated full recording across Victor’s properties.
The countdown reached zero.
The screen displayed three beneficiary fields.
Camilla entered her name.
Laurent entered Blue Meridian Holdings.
Celia entered a numbered trust in Luxembourg.
Dr. Armand refused.
“I was promised five million through a separate transfer.”
“You will receive it,” Laurent said.
“I want written confirmation.”
Camilla turned toward him.
“You forged a diagnosis for a man you knew was mentally competent.”
“You accepted payment before the pier.”
“Do not suddenly pretend you have principles.”
Armand’s face tightened.
“I did not agree to murder.”
“You changed his medication.”
“I gave him muscle relaxants.”
“You made it harder for him to move.”
Victor looked down at his hands.
For several weeks, he had felt weaker than usual.
His doctors blamed complications from the spinal injury.
Armand had been drugging him.
Camilla knew Victor might have escaped the chair with his upper-body strength.
She weakened him before taking him to the pier.
The portal asked for final confirmation.
Each beneficiary placed a finger on Victor’s desk scanner.
The system accepted their identities.
Then it displayed a new message.
TRANSFER PROCESSING.
Camilla smiled.
Victor pressed a control from the operations room.
A hidden speaker inside the villa office activated.
His recorded voice filled the room.
“Contingency claim registered.”
Everyone froze.
“Beneficiary identities secured.”
Celia dropped her glass.
Dr. Armand stepped backward.
Laurent stared at the clock.
Camilla looked toward the ceiling.
The recording continued.
“In the event of fraudulent death verification, all evidence will be forwarded to designated authorities.”
The screen turned red.
Camilla’s smile disappeared.
Laurent grabbed the computer.
“What did you do?”
Camilla pushed him away.
“You said you understood the system.”
“I understood the original protocol.”
“He changed it.”
“When?”
“Before the helicopter crash.”
Celia stood.
“You told me the transfer was guaranteed.”
“The money is still processing,” Camilla said.
“No,” Laurent replied.
“It is tracing us.”
The office doors locked automatically.
Victor watched them begin turning against one another.
Then another alert appeared on his private screen.
Someone outside the villa had accessed the system using Victor’s master authorization.
The user was not in the office.
The authorization came from a yacht anchored three miles offshore.
May you like
Victor recognized the vessel.
It belonged to his mother, Isabelle Moreau.
