Chapter 7
The interior of Evelyn’s private studio smells of cold parchment and expensive perfume. Daniel closes the heavy mahogany door quietly behind them, sliding the deadbolt into place from the inside. Clara walks slowly toward the center of the room, her eyes adjusting to the dim moonlight that pools across the polished hardwood floors. Martha immediately heads for the sleek desk, her bandaged hands moving expertly across the hidden compartments beneath the kneehole.
"She keeps the physical master drives in a drop-box behind the sliding oak panel," Martha whispers, her fingers tracing the intricate grain of the wood until she finds a recessed spring. With a soft click, a small drawer pops open, revealing a row of black encrypted thumb drives and a stack of notarized documents tied with red ribbon.
Daniel steps forward, picking up the top document. He flips open the heavy cardstock, scanning the legal text under the pale light of his phone screen. His breath catches in his throat. It is a forged medical addendum to his father’s final will, drafted just days before his death, explicitly cutting Daniel out of the estate and transferring all voting shares of the family corporation directly to Evelyn. Attached to it are bank routing numbers pointing to accounts in the Cayman Islands.
"She planned it all," Daniel whispers, anger vibrating in every syllable of his voice. "My father didn't die of a natural heart attack. She poisoned him with digitalis—it mimics a cardiac arrest and leaves almost no trace in standard autopsies."
Clara steps up beside him, resting a trembling hand on his arm. "We have the proof now, Daniel. We have the drives, and we have the documents. We can take this straight to the federal authorities as soon as we cross the state line."
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Before Daniel can answer, a sharp, metallic sound echoes from the hallway outside. It is the distinct sound of a master key sliding into the heavy brass lock of the studio door. The deadbolt they just engaged rattles as someone on the other side attempts to force the handle down.
Martha freezes, her face draining of all color. "She knows," Martha breathes in sheer panic. "Evelyn never sleeps on nights when the moon is full. She comes up here to review the ledgers."
