Chapter 4 - The Debt Trap
The realization that my parents were financially tied to Greg's sinking ship did not evoke any sympathy in me.
Instead, it felt like the universe was handing me the perfect instrument for absolute justice.
They had enabled his reckless lifestyle, funded Vanessa's vanity, and abandoned my family when we needed them most.
I instructed Marcus to draft a highly specific manufacturing contract for Vanguard.
The contract would offer Greg a massive fifty-million-dollar advance to save his company.
However, the fine print contained lethal liability clauses.
If Vanguard failed to meet any production deadline, Meridian had the right to seize all corporate and guarantor assets immediately.
I knew Greg could never meet the deadlines because he did not have the actual workforce he claimed on paper.
The next morning, my personal cell phone rang.
It was my mother, calling me for the first time since her brief, insulting visit to my house.
"Claire, darling, how are you holding up?" she asked with a sickly sweet tone.
I felt a wave of pure disgust wash over me as I heard the fake affection in her voice.
"I am surviving," I answered coldly.
"Vanessa told us that you are running Daniel's company now," my mother continued, ignoring my icy tone.
"She said you might be willing to help Greg with a small business contract."
"I am reviewing his proposal," I replied vaguely.
"Please, Claire, you have to help them," my mother begged, dropping her casual facade.
"Vanessa is so stressed, and family must always take care of family."
The sheer hypocrisy of her words almost made me laugh out loud.
"I will send the contract to Greg this afternoon," I promised, hanging up the phone without saying goodbye.
I signed the trap and had a corporate courier deliver the heavy binder directly to Greg's office.
I knew he would sign it blindly because he was drowning in desperate fear.
Later that evening, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat in the dark nursery that used to belong to Noah.
I traced my fingers over the edge of his empty wooden crib.
My phone vibrated on the rocking chair next to me.
It was a call from Detective Miller, the lead investigator assigned to my family's fatal car crash.
"Mrs. Holtz, I am sorry to call you so late," the detective said gently.
"Have you found something?" I asked, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"We finally received the comprehensive mechanical report from the state crime lab," he explained.
"The accident was not caused by wet roads or a blown tire, Claire."
He paused, taking a heavy breath before delivering the devastating news.
"The brake lines on your husband's car were expertly and intentionally cut."
My vision blurred as the horrifying reality set in.
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Daniel, Emma, and Noah did not die in a tragic accident.
They were brutally murdered to keep a secret hidden.
