Chapter 3 - The First Wife
Julian hit the lobby button and stood protectively in front of me.
I leaned against the mirrored wall, gasping for air as the drugs continued to fight my adrenaline.
"Who are you and why is my husband trying to drug me?" I asked frantically.
Julian kept his pale eyes locked on the changing floor numbers above the door.
"I am a private investigator hired by the family of Axton's first wife," Julian explained.
I stared at him in absolute shock because Axton had sworn he had never been married before.
"He told me I was his first and only love," I whispered in horror.
Julian pulled a folded photograph from his jacket pocket and handed it to me.
It was a picture of Axton smiling on a beach with a beautiful young woman.
"Her name was Elena, and she drowned on their honeymoon three years ago," Julian said grimly.
"Axton inherited ten million dollars from her life insurance policy exactly one week later."
The elevator doors opened into the deserted parking garage level of the hotel.
Julian guided me quickly toward a sleek black car parked near the exit.
"He targets wealthy women with small families, Callie," Julian continued as we got inside.
"Your father left you a massive estate, and you just signed a joint trust agreement today."
My entire life had been a meticulously crafted lie designed to steal my inheritance.
"But why is my sister helping him do this to me?" I cried, buckling my seatbelt.
Julian started the engine and sped out of the dark parking structure.
"Mila is heavily in debt to some very dangerous people," Julian revealed.
"Axton promised her half of your estate if she helped him stage your tragic accident tonight."
My own sister was willing to let me die just to pay off her gambling debts.
My cell phone suddenly buzzed in the pocket of my silk robe.
It was an incoming video call from Mila.
I answered it with shaking hands, expecting to see her gloating face.
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Instead, the screen showed Mila tied to a chair in a dark basement, crying hysterically.
"Callie, please help me!" Mila screamed before Axton stepped into the frame and smiled at the camera.
