Chapter 16 - The True Mastermind
The sound of approaching sirens echoed through the valley, but the nightmare was far from over.
As the fire trucks pulled up to battle the inferno, two black SUVs pulled in right behind them, blocking the driveway.
A man stepped out of the lead SUV, impeccably dressed in a dark wool coat, stepping calmly over the fire hoses.
It was Mark.
He didn't look like a heartbroken ex-husband or a victim of Lauren’s lies. He looked like an executive finalizing a deal. Behind him stood two muscular men in dark suits.
“I see you put on quite a show tonight, Eleanor,” Mark said smoothly, ignoring the firefighters entirely.
“Mark...” Dad choked out from the grass, supported by Daniel. “You... you set her up.”
“Set who up?” Mark laughed softly, pulling a stack of legal documents from his coat. “Eleanor burned the house down out of spite. The fire department will document it as an act of arson committed by a mentally unstable ex-wife.”
Mark walked up to me, his cold eyes staring down into mine.
“And as for you, Claire... your father signed over the power of attorney to his land trust three hours ago. Unfortunately for you, he signed it under a corporate entity that my offshore fund acquired at five o'clock today.”
I stood up, stepping directly into Mark’s space, my face smeared with soot, my eyes burning with fury.
“You think you won?” I spat.
“I know I won,” Mark sneered. “Lauren is in prison, Eleanor is going to an asylum, your father is broke, and Daniel is a disgraced accountant whose career I am going to destroy by sunrise. You have nothing left.”
May you like
I wiped the ash from my mouth and smiled—a slow, terrifying smile that made Mark’s smug expression waver for the briefest second.
“You forgot one thing, Mark,” I said softly.
