Chapter 5 - The Missing Will
Caleb sprinted down the long, sterile hospital corridor, his heart pounding violently against his ribs.
He dropped to his knees beside Richard Sterling and frantically checked for a pulse.
The attorney was unconscious, bleeding heavily from a massive, blunt-force wound to the back of his head.
"Help!" Caleb screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the empty hallway.
"I need a doctor out here immediately!"
Nurses and doctors rushed out of nearby rooms, swarming the critically injured man with a trauma stretcher.
They quickly stabilized Richard and rushed him directly toward the emergency surgical wing.
Caleb stood in the middle of the hallway, his hands covered in blood, breathing heavily in absolute panic.
The leather briefcase containing Arthur's newly signed will was completely gone.
Without that original, notarized document, the legal transfer of the eighty-two million dollar fortune was entirely invalid.
Vanessa would automatically remain the sole legal heir to the entire massive estate.
"Someone stole the will," Caleb whispered to himself, a cold, terrifying dread settling deep into his stomach.
He ran back to Arthur's hospital room, desperately hoping the attorney had left a copy behind.
The room was completely empty, save for the deceased billionaire lying peacefully on the bed.
Caleb franticly searched the bedside tables, the closets, and the floor, but he found absolutely nothing.
The hidden camera inside the smoke detector was also missing, completely ripped from the ceiling wires.
Whoever assaulted the attorney had also destroyed the only physical evidence of Vanessa's murder confession.
Caleb pulled out his cell phone to call the lead detective, but the device suddenly displayed "No Service."
The hospital's entire cellular and Wi-Fi network had been completely jammed.
He was trapped on the fifth floor with a dead body, an unconscious lawyer, and a ruthless killer who wanted the money.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden door of the hospital room slammed shut and locked with a loud, mechanical click.
Caleb spun around, his heart leaping into his throat.
Standing by the door was a tall, heavily muscular man wearing a dark suit and a surgical mask.
He held a suppressed pistol aimed directly at Caleb's chest, and the stolen leather briefcase hung from his other hand.
"Julian," Caleb deduced immediately, his mind racing to understand the impossible situation.
The man slowly pulled down his surgical mask, revealing a cruel, incredibly arrogant smile.
"You are very smart for a poor, pathetic hospital orderly," Julian sneered, stepping further into the room.
"I thought you fled to the airport after you drained the corporate accounts," Caleb said, slowly backing away toward the window.
Julian laughed darkly, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Caleb's spine.
"Vanessa is an absolute, predictable idiot," Julian mocked.
"I sent that fake text message from a burner phone to make her completely panic."
"I knew the moment she thought I betrayed her, she would confess everything to the police and completely ruin herself."
Caleb stared at him in pure horror, realizing the true, devastating brilliance of Julian's evil plan.
"You framed her," Caleb whispered.
"I didn't frame her, I just let her get caught," Julian corrected him smoothly.
"With Vanessa sitting in a prison cell for murder, the estate would eventually pass to her next of kin."
"Since we secretly married in Vegas last week, that next of kin is officially me."
Julian raised the suppressed pistol slightly higher, aiming it directly at Caleb's head.
"But then that stupid old man had to go and sign a new will, leaving everything to a complete stranger."
"So I had to come back and clean up the absolute mess."
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Julian stepped forward, preparing to pull the trigger and eliminate the only remaining witness.
But before Julian could fire the fatal shot, the supposedly dead billionaire lying on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.
