Chapter 6 - Secrets in the Ledger
With the estate locked down under private security hired by Thomas Cole, the library became a command center. Outside, the autumn rain beat heavily against the glass. Lily sat quietly in the corner, drawing colored pictures with crayons Martha had found for her, while Luke, Julian, and Thomas pored over Arthur’s black ledger.
"Arthur knew," Luke said, his voice thick with repressed grief as he traced his brother's familiar handwriting. "Look at these dates. Three months before the accident, millions were being funneled from our clean energy logistics accounts into an offshore holding company named 'Aegis Horizon'."
Thomas Cole adjusted his spectacles, his pen taking frantic notes. "Aegis Horizon is registered in the Cayman Islands. Its sole beneficiary is a shell company owned by Victoria’s biological brother, Marcus Vance—no relation to you, Julian."
"Marcus," Luke breathed, memories falling into place. "The brother she claimed had vanished five years ago."
"He didn't vanish," Julian said, checking data on his laptop. "He’s been running high-stakes private equity investments funded entirely by the money stolen from your family's accounts. Arthur must have confronted her."
Luke turned a page. There, scrawled in Arthur’s distinct, hurried hand, was a passage dated twenty-four hours before the crash:
“She confessed to the missing capital, but there is something darker. She spoke with Harrison today. If anything happens to me, Luke must not trust her medical advice. She knows Luke’s spine is fragile from his old athletics injury. I am going to the district attorney tomorrow.”
Arthur never made it to the district attorney.
"She tampered with Arthur’s car," Luke whispered, his hands trembling as tears finally broke through his stoicism. "And when I was in the passenger seat and survived... she turned my survival into a prolonged prison sentence."
Lily walked over quietly from her corner, her small steps barely rustling the carpet. She stood beside Luke’s wheelchair and gently touched his clenched hand.
"Don't be sad, Luke," she murmured, her big hazel eyes filled with genuine innocence. "You're awake now. You're going to walk again. I know it."
Luke pulled the child close, resting his forehead against hers. "Because of you, Lily. Because of you."
"We have enough to build a criminal case," Thomas said, closing his notebook with a resolute snap. "Between Harrison's pending testimony, the offshore trail, and Arthur’s diary, Victoria and Marcus are facing life imprisonment for corporate embezzlement and attempted murder."
"Not yet," Luke said, lifting his head. His sorrow hardened into absolute tactical clarity. "Victoria is desperate. A cornered predator doesn't run; it attacks. If we move too soon, Marcus will liquidate the accounts and flee, and the evidence connecting them to Arthur's death might disappear with him. We need her to make her final move."
May you like
"And what move would that be?" Julian asked.
"My thirty-fifth birthday gala," Luke answered. "Two weeks from today. She expects me to sign the conservatorship transfer in front of the board."
