Chapter 5 - The Fake Paradise
Chloe sat on the edge of the mattress, sobbing uncontrollably as the reality of her situation set in.
"They promised me we were all moving to South America together after this weekend," she cried.
She confessed that the entire Bali trip was a carefully orchestrated distraction to keep me busy while they liquidated the assets.
They told her to hide in this penthouse and post pre-edited tropical photos to maintain the illusion.
"They said they would come back for me at dawn to catch the private charter flight," she sniffled.
I felt a sharp pang of pity for the sister who had always been spoiled and protected.
She was finally experiencing the exact same cold betrayal I had lived with my entire life.
"They are not coming back for you, Chloe," I told her gently but firmly.
"They canceled your credit cards and stole your passport to ensure you couldn't follow them."
Chloe frantically grabbed her phone and tried to log into her banking app.
Her face turned a terrifying shade of pale as she saw the bright red restricted access warning.
"I have exactly zero dollars," she whispered in absolute disbelief.
Julian paced the length of the luxury suite, his mind clearly working through the logistics of the escape.
"If their private flight leaves at dawn, we have exactly two hours to intercept them," Julian stated, checking his watch.
He pulled out his phone and dialed the direct emergency line for his personal FBI contact.
I sat down next to Chloe, needing one final piece of information to understand their ultimate goal.
"Five million dollars is a lot of money, but it isn't enough for Mom and Dad to live in luxury forever," I reasoned aloud.
Chloe wiped her ruined mascara and nodded slowly.
"Dad said the five million was just the operational cash to cover the bribes and the flight," she admitted.
She reached under the heavy hotel mattress and pulled out a thick, sealed manila envelope.
"Mom told me to guard this with my life until they returned," Chloe said, handing it to me.
I tore the thick paper open and pulled out a highly official, notarized legal document.
My eyes scanned the heavy black text, and my breath caught sharply in my throat.
It was the original, historical deed to Julian's sprawling ancestral family estate in Europe.
May you like
My parents had not just stolen my meager trust fund.
They had somehow managed to legally transfer ownership of Julian's entire billion-dollar legacy into their own names.
