Chapter 5 - The Dark Discovery at 4 A.M.Three hours later, penthouse 1401 had transformed from a cold bachelor mausoleum into a chaotic, brightly lit sanctuary.
Dr. Jonah Reed had thoroughly examined both girls, confirming they were exhausted, malnourished, and suffering from the early stages of a winter cold, but otherwise structurally resilient. They were currently fast asleep in the master guest suite, tucked beneath imported goose-down blankets, clutching matching silver teddy bears Edward had ordered from Tiffany’s with a frantic phone call.
Edward sat alone in his home office, the lights dimmed, staring at a laptop screen.
In front of him was an encrypted intelligence file compiled by his private security firm within the last hour. The details inside made his blood turn to liquid nitrogen.
It wasn't just poverty that had killed Clara. It was systematic, calculated sabotage.
Ten years ago, the board members who had forged Clara’s signature had never truly left her alone. Afraid that Edward might someday discover the truth, they had hired a cutthroat corporate fixer to keep tabs on her. For years, Clara had lived under constant surveillance, her bank accounts systematically frozen, her piano students threatened, and her medicine tampered with during her final, agonizing months of illness.
The last entry in the report was a medical record from St. Jude’s Hospital, dated just yesterday.
Cause of death: Multi-organ failure accelerated by toxic heavy metal poisoning.
Poison.
They hadn't just broken her heart; they had systematically murdered her to keep his bloodline a secret.
Edward stood up so fast his mahogany chair crashed backward onto the floor. His phone buzzed on the desk. It was Marcus Vance, his chief legal counsel and head of security.
"Edward," Marcus's voice was grim. "We've secured the perimeter of the Forester Grand. The girls are safe. But... we found something else. Someone tried to access the service elevator to the fourteenth floor twenty minutes ago. We caught them on the security feed."
Edward’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure obsidian. "Who?"
"Arthur Sterling."
Edward froze. Arthur Sterling was the current Chairman of Haynes Global Enterprises—the very man Edward had trusted to run the board while he expanded his empire into Europe. The man who had orchestrated the original scandal a decade ago.
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"He's still in the building?" Edward asked softly.
"Penthouse 1402," Marcus replied. "Right next door."
