Chapter 18 - THE FIREPLACE
Julian moved before police could stop him.
He entered the library.
“Let her go!”
Victoria released Sarah.
For one second, everyone froze.
Then detectives rushed inside.
Victoria backed toward the fireplace.
“You set me up.”
Sarah rubbed her wrist.
“No.”
“I let you tell the truth.”
Victoria stared at the hidden microphone clipped beneath Sarah’s collar.
Her face changed.
“You recorded me?”
Julian stepped between them.
“You recorded yourself.”
An officer pulled the burning folder from the fireplace with iron tongs.
Several pages were damaged.
Most survived.
Victoria laughed.
“You think paper matters now?”
Sarah looked at her.
“No.”
“Your confession does.”
Police ordered Victoria to turn around.
She refused.
“You cannot arrest me in my own house.”
One detective calmly answered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We can.”
Victoria looked toward Julian.
“You’re really doing this?”
Julian’s expression contained no affection.
No hesitation.
“You threatened my son.”
“You terrorized his mother.”
“You forged documents in my name.”
“You manipulated my company.”
“I am not doing anything to you.”
“You did this yourself.”
Victoria’s eyes filled.
For the first time, the arrogance disappeared.
“What about us?”
Sarah almost felt pity.
Almost.
Julian answered.
“There was never an us.”
“There was an arrangement built on lies.”
Victoria was handcuffed.
As officers escorted her away, she stopped beside Sarah.
“You’ll never fit into his world.”
Sarah met her eyes.
“I don’t need to.”
Victoria was taken outside.
Julian immediately turned toward Sarah.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
He looked at her wrist.
She pulled her hand back.
“I said I’m fine.”
Julian respected the boundary.
A detective approached.
They had found Daniel Cross in a guest bedroom.
He was shaken but unharmed.
More importantly, the final folder contained the original payment records.
Arthur Sterling had authorized every payment.
Victoria had signed several.
Marcus had been paid indirectly.
The hospital waiver had been forged.
Everything was there.
It should have felt like victory.
Instead Sarah felt exhausted.
Julian walked outside with her.
Police lights flashed across the old stone walls.
“What happens tomorrow?”
she asked.
“Victoria will be charged.”
“The board reinstates me.”
“The trust is recognized.”
Sarah shook her head.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Julian understood.
She was asking about them.
About Leo.
About the family that might have existed.
Julian looked toward the sky.
“I don’t know.”
Sarah appreciated that answer more than any promise.
Then his phone rang.
His attorney.
Julian listened.
His face changed.
“What?”
Sarah asked.
Julian slowly lowered the phone.
“There’s one problem.”
Victoria’s confession had destroyed her legal defense.
But the trust attorneys had discovered a final condition.
Leo’s eighteenth-percent share would only activate if Julian formally acknowledged paternity before Leo turned five.
That was easy.
The second condition was not.
The child’s mother had to accept guardianship voluntarily.
If Sarah refused, the shares would remain frozen for eighteen years.
Sarah looked at Julian.
“So everyone needs something from me again.”
Julian shook his head.
“No.”
May you like
“This time, you decide.”
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