Chapter 6 - The Ultimate Twist (The Climax)
Instantly, the massive double-sided smart-TVs in the living room and the ballroom downstairs turned on.
But it wasn't showing a movie.
It was showing a live stream. And on the bottom corner of the screen, there was a viewer counter. 1.2 Million people watching live.
I had hijacked the official Thorne-Vance social media accounts, which had millions of followers waiting for updates on our "fairytale marriage."
On the screen, the audio recording of Vivian and Julian planning my father’s murder played on a continuous loop, followed by the video footage of Julian, Vivian, and Detective Miller discussing the one-million-dollar bribe and the plan to frame me.
Julian’s face drained of all color. He dropped his wine glass, and it shattered on the marble floor.
“Shut it down! Shut it off!” Vivian screamed, lunging at me.
But before she could touch me, the heavy wooden doors of the mansion were kicked open.
Marcus led a team of armed federal agents into the room, accompanied by Federal Prosecutor Arthur Pendelton. Behind them were dozens of police officers with their guns drawn.
“Nobody move!” the lead agent shouted.
Detective Miller immediately threw his hands up, dropping his handcuffs. “I was forced! They threatened me! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” Miller squealed, desperate to save himself.
Julian spun around, grabby a heavy crystal vase, and lunged at me, his face twisted in psychotic rage. “I’ll kill you, you bitch!” he roared.
But Marcus was faster. He tackled Julian to the ground, pinning him down and twisting his arms behind his back. The handcuffs clicked into place.
Clara was shaking violently, crying as the agents put handcuffs on her wrists. Vivian stood frozen, staring at me with pure, unadulterated hatred.
“You ruined us,” Vivian whispered. “You ruined everything.”
“No,” I said, walking up to her and snatching my mother's diamond necklace off Clara’s neck. “I just took back what was mine. You murdered my father, and you thought you could break me. But you only made me stronger.”
As the police dragged Julian, Clara, Vivian, and Detective Miller out of the mansion in front of a crowd of flashing news cameras, Julian screamed my name, vowing revenge. I stood on the porch, watching them get pushed into the police cruisers.
The nightmare was finally over.
One year later...
I stood in the graveyard, placing a bouquet of fresh white lilies on my father's grave. The sun was shining, and the air was clear.
The Thorne-Vance empire had been dismantled, and I had rebuilt my father's company under its original name: Vance Global. I had recovered every single dollar they had stolen, donating half of it to victims of domestic abuse and corporate fraud. Julian, Vivian, and Clara had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out.
It was a text from Marcus: “Elena, the board meeting is about to start. We are ready for you.”
I smiled and replied: “On my way.”
I turned to walk back to my car, feeling a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a very long time. I had survived the worst night of my life, and in doing so, I had claimed my absolute freedom.
As I opened my car door, my phone buzzed again.
It was from an unknown number.
My heart did a familiar, terrifying skip. I opened the message.
It was a photo.
It was a picture of me, standing at my father’s grave, taken just two seconds ago from the treeline behind me.
Beneath the photo, a single line of text appeared:
“Did you really think Julian was the mastermind? Look closer at your father's will, Elena. The game has only just begun.”
May you like
I whipped my head around, scanning the silent, empty trees. There was no one there.
A chill colder than death crept down my spine.
