Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary of Lies
By 6:00 AM, the blizzard had cleared, leaving behind a crisp, sunlit landscape of pristine white snow.
Grant was taken away in the back of a state trooper cruiser for formal questioning regarding the sabotaged vehicle and the child endangerment report. Because no body had been found at the mill, he couldn't yet be formally charged with murder, but the evidence of vehicle tampering kept him locked in an interrogation room.
Inside the mansion, the warmth of the grand kitchen was filled with the soft sounds of baby coos and the clinking of teacups.
Nora sat on a high chair at the marble island, eating warm oatmeal while Dana fed Milo a bottle. Little June was fast asleep in a portable crib beside the stove.
I sat next to Nora, gently brushing her dark, tangled hair with a soft comb.
"Nora," I said softly. "You were very brave last night. Carrying your baby cousins through that storm... you saved their lives."
Nora looked up at me with her big, dark eyes. "Aunt Elise told me I had to be strong. She said Uncle Grant was a bad man who wanted to make them disappear."
My heart squeezed tightly in my chest. "Where did you live with Aunt Elise, Nora?"
"In the white house in the woods," Nora whispered, holding her mug with both hands. "Near the lake. Uncle Grant came at night. He always brought boxes of money and yelled at Aunt Elise. He told her if she ever came to the big estate, he would take the babies away and put Aunt Elise in a dark place."
"Did someone help Aunt Elise last night?" I asked gently.
Nora nodded slowly. "A man with a truck. He came to our house before Aunt Elise put us in the car. He gave Aunt Elise the blue key and told her to run to the gatehouse."
I frowned. "A man with a truck? Did you know him?"
Nora shook her head. "He wore a blue uniform. With a crest on his jacket."
I froze. A blue uniform with a crest.
That was the uniform of the private security firm that guarded my family’s estate—Vanguard Protection. And the head of Vanguard Security on our property was a man named Thomas Vance... Grant's younger brother.
I stood up immediately, my blood running hot.
Grant hadn't been acting alone. His family had been helping him manage this secret life, protecting his access to my fortune while keeping Elise hidden away like a dirty secret.
My phone rang on the counter. It was my corporate attorney, Arthur Cross.
"Elena," Arthur’s sharp voice sounded in my ear. "I just received an emergency notice from the board of directors at Vance Enterprises. Grant’s brother, Thomas, just filed an emergency motion to freeze your personal investment accounts, claiming Grant is mentally incapacitated and that you are attempting to liquidate marital assets."
"They're trying to lock me out of my own money," I said, a cold, ruthless smile forming on my face.
"They're trying," Arthur agreed. "But they forgot one very important legal detail, Elena."
"What detail?"
"Your father’s original trust agreement," Arthur replied smoothly. "Grant never owned a single share of Vance Enterprises. He was merely a named executive director. The entire holding company, the estate, and every offshore account are held in a private trust under one name only: Elena Vance."
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"Arthur," I said, looking out the kitchen window toward the east wing. "I want Thomas Vance removed from security detail immediately. I want the entire Vanguard security team replaced with independent federal contractors by noon. And I want an emergency custody order filed for Milo, June, and Nora."
"Consider it done," Arthur said. "And Elena... be careful. If Grant and Thomas were hiding four million dollars in offshore transfers to fund that second family, they won't go down without a fight."
