Chapter 5 - The Phantom Identity
For the next two days, Liam played the role of a deeply devoted and apologetic fiancé perfectly.
He agreed to all of Claire's lavish wedding demands, successfully lowering her guard.
Meanwhile, a team of underground investigators worked tirelessly around the clock to dig into Claire's past.
Late on Thursday night, Liam sat in his dark home office when a secure encrypted email finally arrived.
He opened the attached files and stared at the shocking truth staring back at him from the computer screen.
The woman sleeping down the hall was not named Claire Sterling at all.
Her real name was Clara Jenkins, and she was the daughter of a notorious family of professional con artists.
Her family specialized in infiltrating wealthy dynasties, manipulating the heirs, and draining their trust funds through marriage.
The investigators discovered that "Claire" had completely erased her criminal record using expensive hackers five years ago.
She had previously targeted two other wealthy widowers, both of whom had died under highly suspicious medical circumstances shortly after their weddings.
Liam printed every single document, building an undeniable portfolio of her absolute treachery.
He finally had the leverage he needed to break the medical Power of Attorney and send her to federal prison.
He placed the thick dossier into his hidden wall safe and locked it securely.
He planned to present the evidence to the district attorney first thing in the morning before the rehearsal dinner began.
Liam quietly walked up to the nursery to check on his daughter, needing to see her peaceful face.
He gently pushed the heavy wooden door open, but the bed was completely empty and the sheets were cold.
A small, folded piece of paper was resting on Chloe's pillow under the moonlight.
May you like
Liam rushed over and opened the note, his heart dropping into his stomach as he recognized his daughter's messy handwriting.
"I am sorry Daddy, but Claire told me you do not love me anymore, so I am running away forever," the terrifying note read.
