Chapter 5 - The Confession of a ParasiteThe door didn't open immediately. Instead, there was the slow, metallic scrape of the lock turning from the inside.
When the heavy wood finally swung outward, Kate Morrison was standing in the center of the guest room. She wasn't crying. She wasn't shaking. Instead, a strange, twisted smile spread across her lips—the smile of a gambler who had played a high-stakes hand and lost, but still wanted to watch the casino burn down with her.
"You think you're so smart, don't you, Daniel?" she asked softly, stepping forward until she was just inches from the threshold. "You think because you write the checks and fly around in private jets, you own the world."
"Step back, Ms. Morrison," Julian Vance warned, his hand resting casually inside his jacket near where his licensed legal firearm was holstered. "Every word you are saying right now is being recorded by three separate devices. Save your breath for a judge who cares."
Kate laughed—a dry, hacking sound that had no humor in it. "A judge? Julian, darling, you're a corporate lawyer. You don't know the first thing about family law corruption. Do you really think I did this alone?"
I froze. The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "What are you talking about?"
Kate stepped closer, her eyes glittering with malicious triumph. "Who do you think set up my background check when I moved in here? Who do you think advised me on how to handle the children so they wouldn't complain to you? Emily didn't just leave a sister behind, Daniel. She left a family that knew every single weakness you had."
"Name names," I stepped forward, grabbing the doorframe so hard my knuckles turned white. "Who put you up to this?"
"Ask your beloved business partner," Kate whispered, her smile widening into a terrifying grin. "Ask Marcus."
The name hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
Marcus Sterling.
My co-founder. My oldest friend. The man who had been managing our corporate expansion on the West Coast while I was buried in family grief.
May you like
"That's a lie," I snarled. "Marcus has been my partner for ten years."
"Has he?" Kate chuckled darkly, reaching into her pocket slowly. "Check your corporate server, Daniel. While you were busy crying over Emily’s grave and ignoring your children, Marcus and I restructured your voting shares. By Monday morning, when the market opens... you won't even own a desk in your own company."
