PART 2
Samuel Price placed his briefcase on Dad’s desk and looked at Julian with an expression so calm it made my brother visibly nervous.
“Before we begin,” Samuel said, “I should explain why the bank investigators are here.”
Julian scoffed. “Because Elena filled your head with lies?”
“No,” Samuel replied. “Because your father did.”
The room went silent.
I opened the first folder.
Inside were twelve months of bank statements. Red marks circled withdrawals, transfers, and cashier’s checks totaling nearly $1.8 million.
Every transaction had been authorized using Dad’s online credentials.
Every transfer led to accounts connected to Julian.
Serena’s face drained of color.
“This proves nothing,” Julian snapped. “Dad gave me that money.”
Samuel opened the second folder.
“Then perhaps you can explain these.”
Copies of emails showed Julian impersonating Dad, requesting password resets while Dad was hospitalized. Security logs recorded the device locations.
Julian’s home.
Julian’s office.
Even Serena’s phone.
Uncle Raymond slowly stepped away from him.
Julian pointed at me. “She fabricated this!”
I wiped the dried blood from my lip. “Dad discovered everything three months ago.”
His anger vanished.
For the first time, fear appeared.
I opened the handwritten note.
My father’s words were short.
If Julian demands the safe before Samuel arrives, Elena will know I was right about him.
A murmur passed through the relatives.
Julian lunged toward the desk, but the investigators blocked him.
Samuel continued quietly. “Your father changed his estate plan after discovering the theft. The house, investments, and remaining assets were placed into a trust.”
Julian laughed bitterly. “For Elena, obviously.”
“No.”
That surprised even me.
Samuel pulled out one final sealed envelope.
“The beneficiary is someone neither of you knew existed.”
My fingers suddenly went cold.
Julian stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
Samuel opened the envelope and placed a birth certificate on the desk.
I recognized Dad’s name immediately.
But beneath it was another name I had never seen.
A child born twenty-eight years ago.
A child whose mother had disappeared before Julian and I were old enough to remember her.
Then Samuel looked directly at me.
“Elena, your father left one final instruction. You are to find your sister before Julian does.”
Behind me, Serena whispered something that made Julian turn white.
“She already knows.”
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