Chapter 4
Clara gripped the back of a plastic visitor’s chair for support. Her knuckles turned white against the dark wood. "The door was jammed?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as the implications settled over her. "When I tried to leave to get a nurse, the handle wouldn't turn. I thought it was just broken."
Julian watched her intently, searching her features for any sign of deception. He had spent twelve years as a corporate litigator, reading micro-expressions and interrogating hostile witnesses, but reading Clara had always been uniquely difficult. "It wasn't broken," Julian said flatly. "Maintenance found a metal wedge jammed into the strike plate from the outside. Someone wanted you trapped in here with a dying woman, Clara. And they wanted me to walk in right at the climax."
"To destroy us," Clara whispered, the realization dawning with sickening clarity. "If I'm found here with a poisoned sister and a broken bottle, and you walk in and attack me... the narrative writes itself. Disgraced sister-in-law snaps under pressure; grieving husband reacts in rage. The Vance family estate gets liquidated, and whoever is behind Maya’s surgical 'accident' walks away clean."
Julian frowned, his brow furrowing as the legal and personal trap closed around them. For all his arrogance, Julian was sharp enough to recognize when he was being played. He looked from Clara to the shattered glass on the floor, then back to the closed door. "Who knew you were coming here tonight?"
"Only you," Clara said softly.
Julian flinched as if struck. He took a half-step back, his mouth opening to deny it, but he stopped himself. "I told my executive assistant, Marcus, that I was heading to the hospital to check on Maya. But I didn't mention you would be here."
May you like
"Marcus," Clara repeated. The name hung in the air like a foul odor. Marcus Vance, Julian’s ambitious cousin and the chief financial officer of Vance Pharmaceuticals—the very company developing the groundbreaking neurological treatment Maya had undergone that morning. "Marcus has been pushing to acquire Maya’s research patents for months. If she dies before signing the transfer papers, her intellectual property reverts to the corporate board."
Julian’s jaw tightened until the muscle ticked visibly. "Marcus was supposed to be in New York tonight closing the London merger." He reached into the inner pocket of his black suit, pulling out his smartphone. His thumb flew across the screen, bringing up his call logs and flight trackers. After a few tense seconds, his face paled beneath his tan. "His flight was canceled three hours ago. He’s in Chicago. He’s booked into the penthouse downtown."
