Chapter 5 - THE CONFRONTATION IN THE KITCHENWhen I walked through the front door of my house, the lights were off.
The living room was quiet, save for the hum of the refrigerator. Upstairs, Emma was sleeping peacefully under the care of a private pediatric nurse hired by the court.
I walked into the kitchen. Rachel was standing by the sink—the exact same spot she had stood when she poisoned Emma’s unicorn cup a week ago.
She was pouring two glasses of white wine.
"You shouldn't have gone to Baltimore, Sarah," Rachel said smoothly, not even turning around. "Malcolm was a loose end. It’s a shame you had to see him messy."
I stopped ten feet behind her, my fists clenching at my sides. "You killed him. And you tried to kill my daughter."
Rachel turned around, holding a glass of wine out toward me. Her face was devoid of warmth, replaced by a chilling, predatory calm.
"I didn't try to kill Emma, Sarah. I just tried to sedate her," Rachel corrected coldly, taking a sip. "That little girl went snooping through my private briefcase in my home office last Tuesday. She found a document bearing our late father’s signature—the trust deed transferring the entire multi-million-dollar family estate directly to me, while cutting you out entirely."
My breath caught. "Dad left the estate to both of us!"
"Dad wanted to," Rachel hissed, her eyes flashing with pure malice. "Until I forged his signature six months before he died with the help of Julian Sterling’s legal firm. Emma saw the forged notary stamp. She told me she was going to tell you and Mark."
"So you poisoned a seven-year-old child?!" I screamed, stepping forward.
"I poisoned her lemonade so she would sleep through the night while I packed my bags to leave for Zurich," Rachel smiled wickedly. "Unfortunately, Mark walked in too early, saw the cup, and panicked. He thought you had found out about his embezzlement and were trying to poison him."
"You both are monsters," I whispered.
May you like
Rachel laughed softly, raising her wineglass in a mocking toast. "Perhaps. But as of this afternoon, Mark has signed a full confession taking the fall for the embezzlement, the drugs, and the poisoning. And you, dear sister... are about to inherit a very expensive tax lien."
Before Rachel could take another step, the kitchen back door flew open with a deafening crash!
