Chapter 12 - Secrets in the Rearview Mirror
The leather upholstery of the luxury sedan smelled faintly of cedar and aged paper. Chloe sat rigidly on the edge of the seat, her eyes darting between the passing blur of abandoned warehouses outside and the silver-haired man sitting calmly beside her. He wore a tailored wool coat that contrasted sharply with her torn, bloodstained camisole.
"My name is Julian Vance," the man said softly, without turning his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the encrypted tablet resting on his knee. "Your uncle, technically speaking. Though Martha and Mark preferred to call you a ward of the state."
Chloe swallowed hard, her throat raw and dry. "They told me I was a stray. They treated me like a prisoner for as long as I can remember. Why didn't anyone help me?"
Julian finally turned to look at her, his green eyes filled with a deep, sorrowful fatigue. "Because Martha controlled the trust fund your real father left behind after the accident. As long as you were trapped under their roof, declared legally incapacitated, she collected a million-dollar annual stipend. The moment you turned twenty-five today, that stipend was supposed to transfer directly to you. That’s why they tried to break you this morning—they needed you to sign a relinquishment form before midnight."
Chloe’s hands trembled as she looked down at the passport in her lap. "The safe deposit box... the fire... was that real?"
"Very real," Julian said grimly, tapping a finger against the tablet screen. "And right now, Mark and Martha are watching everything they stole burn to the ground."
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Suddenly, the encrypted tablet on Julian’s lap flashed a bright red warning banner, accompanied by a sharp digital chime that made them both hold their breath.
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