Chapter 3 - The Inside Job
The weight of Julian’s words hung over the bridal suite like a guillotine.
Someone faked her death.
Victoria’s breath hitched. “No. No, that’s impossible. The lead detective, he assured us… Arthur was with him when they found it.”
“Arthur?” Julian’s voice hardened instantly. “Uncle Arthur?”
Elena watched the dynamic shift. Arthur Sterling was Victoria’s younger brother. Elena had only met him twice—a charismatic, silver-haired man who always smelled of expensive cigars and smiled just a little too widely. He was the only member of the Sterling family who had been remotely kind to her, even sending them an extravagant espresso machine as an engagement gift.
“Arthur was the one who managed the search parties,” Victoria whispered, her hands flying to her mouth as the horrifying truth began to dawn on her. “I was heavily medicated after you went missing. I couldn't get out of bed. Arthur handled the police. Arthur identified the coat.”
Julian pulled his phone from his pocket, his thumb moving furiously across the screen. “I’m calling security. I want Arthur detained before he leaves the venue.”
“He wouldn’t,” Victoria pleaded, though she sounded entirely unconvinced. “He’s my brother. He loved you, Elizabeth. Why would he take you?”
“Money,” Julian said simply, holding the phone to his ear. “If you had a biological heir, Arthur’s claim to the Sterling fortune would be cut in half. And when I was adopted, he fought you on it, didn't he? He wanted you to leave the company to him.”
Julian cursed, pulling the phone away from his ear. “Security isn't picking up. The whole venue is in chaos.”
Elena looked down at the jade pendant, still resting on the table where she had dropped it. For twenty-three years, it had been her only connection to a past she couldn't remember. Now, it was a bullseye on her back.
“If Arthur knows who I am,” Elena said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm whisper, “and he’s in this building… I’m not safe. Because if I’m back, his entire inheritance is gone.”
Before anyone could react to her words, the heavy oak door to the bridal suite clicked.
Julian stepped in front of Elena instinctively.
The door pushed open. It wasn't Arthur.
It was a man in a catering uniform, holding a silver tray. But his eyes were dead, cold, and entirely focused on Elena. He reached under the white cloth draped over the tray, pulling out something metallic and black.
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“Julian, gun!” Elena screamed.
Julian tackled the waiter just as a silenced shot thwipped past Elena’s ear, shattering the ornate mirror behind her.
