Chapter 12 - Truth in the Dark
The recovery suite was bathed in soft amber lamplight. Edward sat propped against white pillows, bandages wrapped securely around his chest. The pallor of death had finally receded from his skin, replaced by the faint, healthy bronze of his youth.
Clara entered quietly, closing the door behind her. She set the manila folder on the side table.
""You knew who I was,"" she said, her voice devoid of anger, filled only with a deep, aching sadness. ""In the church. Even when you were paralyzed.""
Edward looked at the folder, then raised his gaze to hers. ""I recognized your eyes the second you knelt beside the gurney. You have your father's eyes, Clara. Arthur Vance was a mentor to me before my family ruined him.""
""Why didn't you tell me sooner?""
""I was trapped in my own skull, Clara,"" he said softly, reaching out to take her hands. His touch was warm now, strong and firm. ""For six months, I listened to monsters plan my murder. When you touched my hand and whispered that you wouldn't laugh at me... it gave me the strength to fight the drugs.""
Clara sat on the edge of the bed, feeling tears prick her eyelids. ""My entire life, I thought my father was a failure. A broken man who left me with nothing.""
""Arthur left you an empire,"" Edward countered fiercely. ""Forty percent of Kane Enterprises belongs to you. It was locked inside an encrypted trust that only activates upon our legal marriage. Richard thought he was orchestrating a farce, but by forcing us to marry, he handed you the ultimate weapon.""
Clara looked down at the brass ring on her finger. ""So this marriage... it's a corporate contract.""
Edward went completely still. His hand tightened around hers, his thumb tracing the rough skin of her knuckles. ""It started as a mission of restitution. But when you stood between me and Alan’s gun... that wasn't business, Clara. That was everything.""
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A loud alert tone suddenly blared from Sean’s radio on the side console.
Sean’s frantic voice crackled through the speaker: ""Boss! Richard escaped from federal transport on Highway 1! An armed convoy just breached our outer perimeter gate!""
