Chapter 6 - The Man in the Library
Vivienne froze on the threshold, her heart hammering against her ribs. In the dim light of the library’s single green desk lamp, the intruder’s profile came into sharp relief. It was not her dead father, but Thomas Vance—Julian’s older brother, who had supposedly perished in an offshore yacht explosion seven years ago. Julian was gasping for air, his face pale with horror as Thomas pressed the blade closer, demanding the biometric keycard to the family vault.
Thomas had not aged well; a long scar ran down his left cheek, and his clothing smelled of damp earth and sea salt. He glanced at Vivienne, a bitter smile twisting his scarred lips. He revealed that Julian had planned Arthur’s demise not for the family fortune, but to cover up the massive embezzlement scheme that had funded Julian’s private investments overseas. Julian had used Arthur’s signature to liquidate Thomas’s rightful inheritance years ago, faking Thomas’s death to erase the trail.
Vivienne saw the glass antidote vial rolling toward the edge of the desk, knocked loose during the struggle. ""Give me the medicine,"" she pleaded, taking a cautious step forward. ""Camille is dying in the sunroom."" Thomas chuckled coldly, stating that Camille’s child was Julian’s only legal heir—and the child’s death would ensure the Vance family had no remaining claim to the Sterling estate. Julian thrusted upward with his knee, dislodging Thomas’s grip, and the glass vial flew into the air, tumbling straight toward the stone hearth.
