Chapter 12 - The Hidden Fortune
Dad had discovered Diane’s fraud years before I met Evan.
That was the truth Grant finally revealed.
The forty million dollars did not belong to Dad.
It belonged to Diane’s victims.
Dad had quietly traced stolen funds through offshore accounts.
Before he died, he transferred the money into a protected recovery trust so it could eventually be returned.
Diane had been hunting for access ever since.
My inheritance was personal.
The forty million was evidence.
And leverage.
Grant claimed Diane reached the island vault first.
But the vault required biometric authorization.
Dad’s authorization had expired when he died.
The backup belonged to the trust beneficiary.
Me.
Diane needed me alive.
At least until the vault opened.
That explained why Contingency B remained marked pending.
She planned to kill me.
But not before she used me.
Police searched the island.
Diane was gone.
A small speedboat was missing.
Grant was arrested again, this time under heavy guard.
He finally admitted he had helped Diane stage the car explosion near Nora’s hotel.
His goal was to frighten me into depending on him.
He also admitted delivering the flowers.
But he continued denying the threatening card.
Someone else had placed it.
We still did not know who.
At dawn, my phone received a video.
It showed Diane sitting in a dark room.
Her pearls were gone.
Her hair was loose.
For the first time in my life, she looked tired.
“Mara.”
Her voice remained calm.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
I stared at the screen.
She continued.
“Your father stole forty million dollars.”
I whispered.
“He recovered money you stole.”
Diane smiled.
“Words.”
She leaned toward the camera.
“Bring the trust authorization to me.”
“No.”
“You will.”
The camera shifted.
My blood froze.
Evan appeared on screen.
He was sitting in a chair.
His wrists were tied.
There was bruising on his face.
I stared at Detective Cole.
“How?”
Within minutes, we learned the answer.
Evan had been released from county custody for a court transfer.
The transport van was intercepted.
Two officers were injured.
Evan was taken.
Diane looked directly into the camera.
“You have six hours.”
I almost laughed from disbelief.
“You think I’m going to save him?”
For the first time, Diane’s smile disappeared.
“No.”
The camera moved again.
A second chair appeared.
Someone sat beneath a hood.
Diane removed it.
Nora screamed beside me.
It was Dr. Lena Shah.
The doctor who saved my life.
Diane rested one hand on her shoulder.
“You may not care what happens to my son.”
Her eyes hardened.
“But I know exactly what kind of woman you are, Mara.”
May you like
She smiled again.
“You will come for the innocent one.”
