THE HEIRESS OF ASHWOOD MANOR: HOW A STOLEN INHERITANCE UNCOVERED A DARK FAMILY SECRET

“Police! Drop your weapon!” a booming voice echoed from the marble foyer.

Detective Miller burst into the library, his service weapon drawn and aimed directly at Julian. Behind him, three armed officers flooded the room, their flashlights cutting sharp beams through the dim interior.

Julian stopped dead in his tracks, his hand still hovering near his jacket pocket. With chilling calculation, he let his arms drop slowly to his sides, abandoning any attempt at further violence with practiced ease.

“Detective Miller,” Julian said smoothly, offering a polite, mocking nod. “I was just assisting these young people with a security breach.”

“Right,” Miller muttered, stepping forward and kicking the pistol away across the floor. He signaled to the officers, who slammed handcuffs onto Julian’s wrists with practiced efficiency. “And I’m the King of England. Cuff him and secure the room.”

Marcus groaned, rolling over onto his side as Maya dropped to her knees beside him. She pressed her sleeve against the gash on his temple, trying to stem the bleeding.

“Are you okay?” she choked out, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

“I’ll live,” Marcus wheezed, managing a weak, reassuring smile. He looked down at her hand, where the silver hard drive was clutched so tightly her fingers were completely numb. “You got it. That drive holds every transaction, every offshore shell company, and every name on the board.”

Detective Miller walked over, looking down at the two of them before his gaze shifted to the hard drive in Maya’s grip. He extended a latex-gloved hand. “You’re going to need to hand that over to evidence, Maya. It’s federal property now.”

Maya hesitated, pulling the silver drive back against her chest. Trust had become a very dangerous commodity over the last twenty-four hours. She looked up into the detective’s stern, professional eyes, weighing her options carefully.

“I’ll hand it over,” Maya said firmly, her voice finally steadying with a new, hard-earned resilience. “Only if I keep an encrypted backup copy right now, witnessed by Marcus.”

Miller stared at her for a long, measuring moment, recognizing the exact stubborn fire that had defined Clara Vance. A faint, respectful smirk touched the corner of the detective’s mouth.