THE POISONED INHERITANCE

"That would be me, cousin," a calm, chilling voice announced from the darkness.

Julian swept his flashlight toward the fireplace. Standing there, holding a snub-nosed revolver aimed directly at Julian's chest, was Thomas Vance—Julian’s estranged cousin and the chief financial officer of the Vance Conglomerate.

"Thomas," Julian growled. "You orchestrated this."

Thomas smiled thinly, stepping into the dim beam of light. "Arthur stole the patent from Eleanor’s family, but my father was the one who funded the initial theft. When Arthur decided to play the repentant saint on his deathbed and leave the entire estate to Emma in a secret trust to atone for his sins, he cut me and my branch out entirely."

"So you used Eleanor’s desire for justice to gain access to the house," Claire said, her voice trembling with rage.

"Exactly," Thomas replied smoothly. "A tragic family reunion. The mentally unstable matriarch returns, poisons her granddaughter out of twisted revenge, and Julian, in grief, signs over emergency operational control of the conglomerate to his loyal CFO. It was an elegant plan."

"Emma is alive, Thomas," Julian said, stepping forward, shielding Claire and his daughter with his own body. "Mercer gave her the antidote. Your plan failed."