Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Past
Marcus closed the office door and locked it. He laid the folder on Daniel's desk, opening it to reveal a series of financial documents, bank statements, and old medical records.
"We dug deep into Victoria's past," Marcus began. "And we found some things that were deliberately scrubbed from her official public records. To start, Victoria Lang isn't her real name. She legally changed it five years ago. Her birth name is Victoria Sterling."
Daniel leaned forward, his eyes scanning the documents. "Why did she change it?"
"Because of her late husband," Marcus said, pointing to a newspaper clipping.
Daniel looked at the headline: Tragic Death of Tech Entrepreneur Thomas Sterling.
"Thomas Sterling was a wealthy tech founder in Seattle," Marcus explained. "He died four years ago. The cause of death? A sudden, unexpected cardiac arrest. He was forty-five. He left his entire estate—worth roughly fifteen million dollars—to his young wife, Victoria."
Daniel felt a chill run down his spine. "My God."
"But it gets worse," Marcus continued. "We tracked Victoria’s financial movements. The fifteen million she inherited? She lost almost all of it in bad offshore investments and a failed art gallery venture in Europe. She was nearly bankrupt when she met you, Daniel. She was living on borrowed time and borrowed credit."
"So she targeted me," Daniel whispered, the realization cutting through him like a blade. "She targeted me for my wealth."
"Yes. But there's something even more disturbing. I had our team look into your late wife Sarah’s medical records from the weeks leading up to her death. Sarah’s primary care physician had noted that she was suffering from unexplained bouts of nausea, dizziness, and a slow heart rate. They couldn't find the cause."
Daniel stood up, knocking his chair back. "Victoria was in our house. She was Sarah's friend. She was visiting her almost daily."
"We believe Victoria was poisoning Sarah, too," Marcus said quietly. "She cleared the path to get to you, and once she was in your life, she secured the engagement. With the wedding five weeks away, she was preparing to finish the job. If you died after the wedding, she would inherit the lion's share of your estate under the prenuptial agreement terms she insisted on modifying last month."
Daniel walked to the window, looking out over the city. He felt an overwhelming mix of grief, rage, and profound betrayal. The woman he had let into his home, the woman who had pretended to care for him, was a serial killer. She had murdered his wife, and she was in the process of murdering him.
"Where is she now?" Daniel asked, his voice dead and cold.
"Our tail reports she is still at the Manhattan penthouse," Marcus said. "She hasn't left. But she has been making a series of frantic phone calls."
"To whom?"
"To a burner phone registered in New Jersey. We managed to intercept some of the cell tower data. She also made a bank transfer this afternoon. Fifty thousand dollars was moved from her personal account to an offshore entity."
"She’s setting up a getaway," Daniel said. "She knows I’m suspicious."
Suddenly, Daniel’s phone buzzed. It was a text message from an unknown number.
He opened it.
If you want to see the maid and her daughter alive, you will come to the penthouse alone tonight. Bring the signed marriage certificate we prepared. If you call the police, they die.
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
He looked at Marcus. "Get the car ready. We’re going to the penthouse."
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"Mr. Carter, it's a trap. You can't go in there alone."
"She has Annie and Marisol," Daniel said, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, quiet fury. "She took the only person who tried to save me. I am not letting her hurt that child."
