Chapter 10 - The Midnight Break-In
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I stood motionless in the courtyard, the phone pressed hard against my ear.
“He asked about an acceleration clause in the event of our deaths?” I repeated, making sure I heard the words correctly.
“Yes,” Marcus confirmed. “He framed it as routine ‘estate planning,’ asking if marriage altered the inheritance timeline. At the time, my paralegal flagged it as standard curiosity from a young man getting married. But looking at these security logs now... Robert, this is deeply disturbing.”
They weren't just looking to humiliate Elena to feel superior. They were measuring my empire, calculating how quickly they could liquidate my life’s work the moment I was out of the way.
Vanessa’s sudden rush to marry Daniel, her insistence on lavish venues, her grand announcements about taking over properties she didn't own—it was all built on the delusion that I was an old, clueless man whose assets were ripe for the taking.
“Marcus,” I said quietly.
“I’m here, Robert.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m about fifteen minutes away from Hawthorne Hall, at my office in town.”
“Grab the master legal binder for the Vance Family Trust,” I commanded. “Bring the non-disclosure agreements, the asset ownership titles, and the digital tablet with the study break-in footage. I want you inside the ballroom in twenty minutes.”
“Robert... are you sure you want to do this tonight? In front of everyone?” Marcus asked quietly.
May you like
I looked through the glass doors into the sparkling ballroom. I saw Vanessa standing near the champagne fountain, laughing loudly with her friends, while Daniel stood beside her, looking down at his phone, completely detached from any sense of morality or honor.
“They wanted a memorable wedding, Marcus,” I said coldly. “I’m going to make sure no one in this town ever forgets it.”
