Chapter 13 - The Surrender of Evelyn Sterling
At 2:00 AM, the doorbell rang.
I checked the security monitor. Standing on the front porch under the pouring rain was Evelyn Sterling. Gone was the immaculate designer suit, the gold jewelry, and the imperious posture. She stood shivering, clutching a worn leather handbag to her chest, her face pale and sunken.
I opened the door, keeping the safety chain engaged. "Evelyn?"
"Mara... please," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Please let me in. I have nowhere else to go."
I unlatched the chain and stepped aside. She stumbled into the warm foyer, her expensive coat dripping onto the hardwood floor.
"Richard took everything," she sobbed, sinking into an armchair. "The moment Grant was arrested, Richard executed the emergency power of attorney over all my personal accounts. He locked me out of the family mansion. He disowned Julian. He told the press that Grant and I were rogue elements who disgraced the Sterling name."
"He sacrificed his own family," I said, holding out a hot glass of tea.
Evelyn looked up at me with eyes full of sheer terror and regret. "He didn't just sacrifice us, Mara. He's coming for Owen and Lily. He views them as bargaining chips to force you into handing over your father's original patents."
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She reached into her wet bag and pulled out a heavy black notebook bound with brass clasps.
"Grant kept a secret record of Richard's illegal transactions," Evelyn said, handing it to me with trembling hands. "He was keeping it as insurance against his father. Now... it's yours."
