Chapter 6 - The Secret Will
Audrey stared at the bold black letters printed across the top of the medical laboratory report.
Her first terrifying thought was that Julian might actually be her father’s secret son.
If Julian was her half-brother, then the romantic relationship they had shared was a sickening, twisted nightmare.
She quickly scanned down to the final conclusion at the bottom of the page, her hands shaking violently.
The probability of paternity between Richard Bellamy and Julian Mercer was listed as absolutely zero percent.
Julian was not her father’s son.
Audrey let out a massive breath of relief, but the relief was immediately replaced by a profound, chilling confusion.
If Julian wasn't Richard's son, why was this official DNA report locked inside her father's most secure safe?
She flipped to the second page of the file and found a series of highly sophisticated legal documents.
They were draft copies of a revised last will and testament, completely cutting Audrey out of the Bellamy inheritance.
The new will named Julian Mercer as the sole beneficiary, falsely listing him as Richard's newly discovered biological heir.
Lenora hadn’t just been stealing cash from the safe.
She had used her access to plant forged documents, preparing to legally steal the entire billion-dollar empire.
And Friday was the deadline.
Friday was the day Richard's old lawyer was scheduled to officially register the updated estate paperwork with the courts.
Lenora and Julian were going to execute their hostile takeover in less than forty-eight hours.
Audrey quickly took photos of every single page using her burner phone before putting the folder exactly back where she found it.
She closed the safe, replaced the painting, and took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.
She needed to leave the house immediately and take this evidence straight to the district attorney.
As she turned to leave the study, the heavy wooden door slowly creaked open.
Julian stood in the doorway, blocking her only exit.
His charismatic smile was completely gone, replaced by a cold, dead stare that made Audrey’s blood run cold.
He was holding a small silver tray with a steaming mug of herbal tea and a strange, unlabelled glass vial.
“You’ve been busy today, Audrey,” Julian said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
Audrey forced a tired smile, pretending to rub her stomach defensively.
“Just nesting, honey,” she lied, backing up slightly toward the heavy oak desk.
Julian set the tray down on the desk, picking up the small glass vial between his fingers.
“You look a bit pale, darling,” Julian said softly, his voice echoing dangerously in the quiet room.
He uncorked the vial and poured a thick, clear liquid directly into the steaming tea.
May you like
He picked up the mug and held it out toward her.
“It’s time for your prenatal vitamins,” Julian insisted, taking a slow, menacing step closer to her.
