Chapter 7: A Traitor’s Ambush**
Dr. Moore led Elena down a narrow spiral staircase into the bookstore’s basement archive. He unlocked a heavy steel safe hidden behind a false shelf of antique legal texts, pulling out a thick manila folder filled with certified carbon-copy audit sheets.
"These are the original signatures," Dr. Moore said, handing them to her. "Victoria’s father signed the initial transfers, and Victoria forged your authorization while you were in a coma after the bridge crash."
"Wait," Elena froze, her eyes widening. "What do you mean, *while I was in a coma*?"
Dr. Moore looked at her with profound sorrow. "You didn't go into the river and disappear immediately, Elena. Someone found you on the riverbank that night and brought you to a private clinic in New Jersey under an anonymous name. Victoria found out three days later. When she realized you were still breathing, she had you transferred to a facility meant to keep you sedated indefinitely."
Elena felt the room spin. "Marcus told me he found me washed ashore..."
Before she could finish the sentence, the wooden stairs creaked above them.
The heavy basement door swung open. Stepping down the stairs with a drawn firearm was not a stranger—it was Marcus Cole.
"Marcus?" Elena stepped back, shielding the documents behind her coat.
Marcus didn't smile, nor did he look angry. His face was a mask of cold, weary resignation.
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"I'm sorry, Elena," Marcus said softly, keeping the barrel trained on her. "Victoria offered me ten million dollars to finish what should have happened six years ago. That kind of money puts my daughter through college and buys me a quiet life in South America."
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