Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Past
The silence in the grand entryway grew deafening. Lily watched her father with wide, worried eyes, while Victoria stood frozen, her chest heaving beneath the elegant white silk of her dress. The fragile illusion of perfection that the Sterling household had maintained for years was fracturing right before their eyes.
"What is it, Dad?" Lily asked softly, her small hand reaching out to tug at the hem of his black suit trousers. "Is it about mom?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately. He stared at the legal document in his hand, his mind reeling as the dates and signatures aligned into a terrifying truth. The paper in his hand was not a demand for alimony or a bitter letter from Elena. It was an amended, highly classified codicil to his late grandfather’s original will—a document that had supposedly vanished in a catastrophic fire twenty years ago.
"Victoria," Daniel said, his voice completely devoid of emotion, which was far more terrifying than any shout. "Did you know my grandfather’s original estate lawyer died under suspicious circumstances six months before our wedding?"
Victoria’s face lost every trace of its polished composure. Her eyes darted toward the double doors, calculating her chances of escape before she forced her features back into a mask of confusion. "What kind of a ridiculous question is that, Daniel? Your grandfather died a decade ago. Why are you bringing up dead men and old tragedies?"
"Because," Daniel replied slowly, stepping closer to her, "this document was filed yesterday morning. And it bears your signature as a primary witness to the amendment."
Victoria gasped, taking a sharp step backward until her back hit the mahogany wall. "That's impossible. Someone forged my name. Elena is framing me! She wants everything we've built!"
"Elena hasn't had access to a legal notary in five years, Victoria," Daniel said coldly. "And she certainly doesn't know the passcodes to my grandfather’s private trust vault."
He turned the pages over, revealing a second item tucked inside the envelope—a vintage gold pocket watch that had belonged to his grandfather, engraved with initials that Victoria had claimed were pawned and lost forever.
May you like
"Where did Elena get this watch, Victoria?" Daniel demanded, holding it up. "She said she found it dropped behind a floorboard in the guest house—the exact guest house you lived in before we married."
---
