Chapter 3 - The Golden Trap
When Eleanor returned to the hallway, Julian was waiting.
“She wants to call her father,” Eleanor said, her voice shaking. “Julian, she admitted it. Not in words, but her face… she’s a monster. Why didn't you just take this to the police?”
“Because her father, Richard Sterling, owns half the judges in the state,” Julian explained, walking Eleanor downstairs to the kitchen, where Arthur was nervously pouring a glass of scotch.
“So what is your plan, son?” Arthur asked, handing Julian a glass. “You can't keep her hostage in the guest room.”
“I don't need to,” Julian said, taking a sip. “I needed her to sign the marriage certificate. That was the final piece of the puzzle.”
Julian pulled a thick leather folder from his briefcase on the kitchen island.
“Over the last two years, I didn't just play the perfect boyfriend. I played the perfect financial advisor. Richard Sterling trusted me. He trusted me so much that he allowed me to restructure his company’s assets, tying them directly to a joint trust that required Madeline to be legally married to me to access the funds.”
Arthur’s eyes widened. “You tied their family fortune to your marriage?”
“If she files for divorce, or if she has me arrested for domestic disturbance tonight, a poison pill clause activates. The trust dissolves, the assets are frozen in probate for a decade, and Richard’s company will go bankrupt by Tuesday. She is financially chained to me.”
Eleanor stared at her son. He was a brilliant architect, but he had spent the last two years architecting a prison.
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“What did you do to her in that room tonight, Julian?” Eleanor asked softly.
“I just whispered the truth in her ear,” Julian replied. “I told her I knew about Clara. I told her I had the black paint chips from her SUV. And I told her that for the rest of her life, she belongs to me.”
