Chapter 1 - The Locked Door
The wail of police sirens began to rise sharply in the distance beyond the heavy iron gates of my estate.
I stared at the glowing laptop screen in absolute disbelief as the second message from Victoria Vance flashed across the display.
My husband had wept on my shoulder five years ago when he told me about her tragic, fatal car accident.
He had painted himself as a broken widower who needed my love and financial support to heal his shattered heart.
Now, a supposedly dead woman was messaging him to ask if he was going to finish something tonight.
Daniel slammed his heavy fist against the solid oak door again, screaming my name with a violent rage I had never heard before.
My mother-in-law, Patricia, was right behind him, yelling that I was a dramatic, ungrateful child who deserved to be punished.
I quickly picked up my encrypted private phone and held it to my ear, listening to Marcus type rapidly on his keyboard.
I asked Marcus if it was possible for someone to fake a death certificate in the state of California.
Marcus remained completely silent for a terrifying moment before taking a very long, shaky breath.
He told me that he had just cross-referenced Victoria's old files with Daniel's recent hidden bank transfers.
Marcus warned me that not only was Victoria Vance alive, but she was legally listed as the primary beneficiary of a massive new financial account.
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I asked him what kind of account could possibly hold that much money.
Marcus swallowed hard and told me to get out of that room immediately because Daniel had just finalized a fifty-million-dollar life insurance policy on me.
