Chapter 12 - The Phoenix ProtocolHarrison pulled out his phone. His eyes widened as bold red text covered his screen:
[BLACKWOOD GLOBAL HOLDINGS: LIQUIDATION COMPLETE] [CURRENT BALANCE: $0.00]
"What is this?!" Harrison roared, his voice shaking with sudden rage. "Where is the trust money?! Where is the $50 million?!"
"It's gone, Father," Claire said softly, standing up and smoothing her coat. "It was never in Switzerland. It was never in the bearer bonds in those briefcases. That was all a decoy to bring you, Ethan, and Eleanor into the exact same trap."
Detective Vance looked at his phone screen in disbelief. "Mrs. Blackwood... what did you just do?"
"Six months ago, when my mother realized Harrison was poisoning her," Claire explained, looking directly into Vance's eyes, "she created a fail-safe code inside the Blackwood Family Trust called the Phoenix Protocol. If all three primary family membersāHarrison, Eleanor, and Ethanāwere implicated in felony criminal activity, the entire $50 million estate automatically liquidates and transfers to a non-profit international crime victims' fund."
Ethan, pinned to the carpet, lifted his head in pure horror. "You... you gave away the money?! You destroyed everything for NOTHING?!"
"Not for nothing, Ethan," Claire whispered, bending down to look him in the eye. "I did it to take away the only thing any of you ever loved."
Harrison grabbed his chest, gasping for air as his face turned pale. "You ruined us... you ruined the family name!"
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"You ruined this family the day you murdered my mother," Claire spat.
CHAPTER 12 HOOK: Before Harrison could answer, he collapsed onto the cabin floor, clutching his heart. But as the paramedics rushed into the jet, Vanceās radio crackled with shocking news from the county jail: "Detective! We have a breach at the precinct! Eleanor Blackwood just escaped!"
