Chapter 4 - The Ghost in the Safe
The mention of his late father’s will hit Julian like a physical blow. His father, Richard Vance—no relation to Marcus, though they shared a common professional circle—had passed away under mysterious, sudden circumstances just two years prior. At the time, the autopsy had ruled it a massive heart attack, and Julian had been too consumed by grief to question the swift probate process that handed the family estate directly to him.
Julian took a menacing step toward Marcus, his voice dangerously low. “What did you just say about my father’s will?”
Marcus raised his hands defensively, backing away a half-step as the anger radiating off the groom became almost palpable. “I’m saying the signature on the probate transfer wasn't your father’s, Julian. Clara spent weeks practicing his handwriting. I watched her do it at the office desk late at night, thinking it was just some harmless art project.”
Clara finally found her voice, letting out a hysterical shriek that echoed off the crystal chandeliers. “He’s lying! Marcus is a gambling addict! He embezzled from our firm and now he’s trying to pin it on me to save his own skin!”
The ballroom erupted into chaos. Half the guests stood up from their velvet-cushioned chairs, shouting over one another. Eleanor was holding her chest, gasping for breath as family members rushed to her side with a glass of water. Amidst the roaring noise, Leo stood his ground, raising the microphone back to his lips.
“She’s still lying,” Leo said calmly, cutting through the din with chilling precision. “She hid the real papers in the study safe. The one behind the painting of Grandpa.”
Julian’s eyes widened. Only three people knew the combination to that wall safe: Julian, Clara, and his late father.
Without uttering another word, Julian turned on his heel. He ignored the white wedding dress dragging on the floor, ignored his weeping bride, ignored the gasping crowd, and began to march rapidly toward the private study located just behind the main reception hall.
Marcus sprinted after him, calling out, “Julian, wait! There’s something else in that safe! Something about the night your father died!”
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Julian slammed the heavy study door wide open, his hand immediately reaching for the golden frame of his father’s portrait, completely unaware that a red laser dot was currently tracking across the back of his tuxedo jacket.
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