Chapter 8 - EMILY
Emily Danner was twenty-one now.
She arrived that afternoon wearing jeans, a college sweatshirt, and an expression much older than her face.
When she saw Ethan, she stopped in the doorway.
“He’s younger than I was.”
Lily took Ethan upstairs.
Victor invited Emily into the library.
“I’m sorry to make you revisit this.”
Emily gave a humorless smile. “I revisit it every night.”
She told him Serena had been charming at first. Gifts. Pancakes shaped like animals. Secret jokes. Then came rules nobody else heard.
Don’t interrupt.
Don’t cry.
Don’t touch Dad when Serena is talking.
Don’t tell Dad what happens when he’s gone.
“If I broke a rule, she’d punish me where there were no cameras.”
Victor’s stomach turned.
“Storage room?”
Emily nodded.
“She told Dad I was jealous. She told my therapist I lied for attention. She made everyone think I was unstable before I even understood what that word meant.”
Then Emily reached into her backpack.
She placed a folded paper on the desk.
“My father wrote this three days before he died.”
Victor unfolded it.
If anything happens to me, investigate Serena Vale.
Below the sentence was the name of a private detective.
Claire checked the name.
“He’s alive. Retired in Vermont.”
Emily’s eyes stayed on Victor.
“My dad believed Serena was trying to get control of his estate.”
Victor’s blood ran cold.
“And the mechanic?”
“He disappeared after the crash.”
Daniel entered with his phone in his hand.
“Sir, we just got an alert from the gate system.”
Victor stood.
“What alert?”
“Serena’s credential was revoked last night.”
“I know.”
May you like
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Someone just used an old master code to open the west service gate.”
