Chapter 9 - The Signature
I froze, the burner phone feeling like a live grenade in my hand.
I looked at Elias, who was already walking purposefully toward the heavy metal door of the room.
"Wait," I called out, my voice cracking entirely.
Elias stopped and looked back at me, his hand resting on the door handle.
I bent down and frantically dug through the scattered medical files on the floor.
I found the surgical authorization form, the primary document that had permitted Dr. Thorne to amputate my breasts.
I scanned the bottom of the page, expecting to see Garrick's forged signature.
But Garrick's name wasn't anywhere on the legal document.
The signature belonged to the primary financial guarantor of the private clinic.
It was signed in crisp, unmistakable black ink by Elias.
My heart completely stopped in my chest.
I looked up at my brother, the man who had just saved me from the shed and destroyed my husband's life.
"You authorized the surgery," I whispered, the betrayal burning hotter than my physical wounds.
Elias didn't look surprised, and he didn't try to deny it.
He slowly took his hand off the door handle and walked back toward my bed.
"Garrick was a greedy, stupid man, Elena," Elias said calmly.
"He came to me a year ago, drowning in debt to a cartel, begging for a loan to save his church."
"I told him I would pay off his debt, but only if he provided me with a highly specific return on my investment."
I pulled the blanket tightly around my chest, backing away from him until I hit the wall.
"You paid him to mutilate me?" I gasped, completely horrified.
"I paid him to push you to the absolute breaking point," Elias corrected smoothly.
"Five years ago, you walked away from our family's empire to play house with a pathetic youth pastor."
"You refused to take your rightful place by my side in the business."
Elias sat down in the chair, crossing his legs like we were discussing corporate strategy.
"I knew that the only way to bring you back to the family was to show you exactly what the world does to weak, trusting people."
"I needed you to suffer so deeply that you would finally become ruthless enough to inherit my empire."
He pointed to the screens still displaying Garrick sitting in a jail cell.
"Garrick played his part perfectly, and now he will rot in prison while you take your throne."
"You are a complete monster," I cried out, grabbing a glass vase from the nightstand to defend myself.
Elias simply smiled and stood up, completely unbothered by my threat.
"I am a monster who just made you the wealthiest, most powerful woman in Texas."
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"Rest up, little sister, because tomorrow your real training finally begins."
He walked out of the room, and the heavy metal door clicked firmly, locking me inside.
