At Christmas dinner, Grandma handed every family member a $5 million check, but everyone laughed like it was a cruel joke. My dad scoffed, “It’s obviously fake. Don’t be stupid.” I quietly put mine away. The next morning, the bank manager turned pale and whispered, “Ma’am… we need to talk.”

I stared at Brittany in complete shock as she stood over my unconscious father.

"Brittany, you saved me," I gasped while catching my breath.

She looked down at the bleeding man on the floor with a completely blank expression.

"I could not let him burn the documents," she said quietly.

I nodded and reached into my pocket to pull out the fragile papers.

"We need to give this evidence to the police right now," I told her earnestly.

Brittany did not move toward the door to let the officers inside.

Instead, she slowly bent down and picked up the silver revolver from the floor.

She pointed the loaded weapon directly at my face.

"Give me the documents, Claire," Brittany commanded with a sudden, chilling authority.

"What are you doing?" I asked as my heart sank into my stomach.

"I did not throw my check away last night," she confessed with a wicked smile.

"I realized that Grandma's money was real, and I want the entire empire for myself."

She explained that she had always hated me for being Grandma's obvious favorite grandchild.

If she destroyed the documents and killed me, she would be the only remaining heir to the Whitaker fortune.

She had intentionally let my father take the fall so she could emerge as the innocent survivor.

"You are just as evil as he is," I whispered in utter defeat.

Brittany shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her finger tightly around the trigger.

"History is only written by the wealthy survivors, my sweet cousin."

Before she could pull the trigger, the secret bookshelf door behind us swung violently open.

A loud, booming blast from a twelve-gauge shotgun completely shattered the chandelier above Brittany's head.

Brittany screamed in terror and dropped the revolver as glass rained down upon her.

Rosa, the quiet housekeeper who had served our family for thirty years, stepped out of the hidden passage.

The Billionaire Put On a Waiter’s Apron to Test His Fiancée, but the Wom...

My father bet twenty dollars that I would walk through his front door al...

My Husband Slapped Me Out of His House for His Mistress, Then the Most F...

She racked another shell into the smoking shotgun and aimed it directly at my cousin.

"Nobody threatens my employer's true granddaughter," Rosa stated with deadly calmness.

Chapter 7 - The Cousin's Betrayal