Arthur had grown suspicious of Conrad years before his death.
Money had vanished through Sterling subsidiaries.
Pension funds had been quietly raided.
International accounts had been manipulated.
Arthur planned to remove Conrad from the board.
Then Avery became pregnant.
Arthur secretly rewrote his trust.
If Liam had a legitimate biological heir, a massive block of voting shares would eventually pass outside Conrad’s control.
Conrad discovered it.
Victoria had wanted Avery gone because of class, bloodline and control.
Conrad had wanted Leo gone because Leo represented thirty-one percent of Sterling Global.
“And Arthur?” Avery asked.
Victoria said nothing.
Avery’s heartbeat changed.
“Victoria.”
“He didn’t die from a stroke.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Julian looked up sharply.
“What happened?”
“I never touched Arthur,” Victoria said quickly. “I swear to you.”
“Then who did?”
“Conrad’s private physician adjusted his medication.”
Avery couldn’t speak.
Arthur hadn’t died naturally.
He had been eliminated.
“And you covered it up.”
“Yes.”
There it was.
No apology.
No defense.
Just a monstrous truth.
Victoria continued.
“Conrad promised Liam would inherit everything. He promised the family would survive.”
“You protected the Sterling name.”
“I protected my son.”
“No. You destroyed him.”
For the first time, Victoria’s voice cracked.
“Perhaps.”
Avery heard movement on the other end.
An agent telling Victoria her time was almost finished.
Then Victoria whispered:
“Conrad will not kill Leo immediately.”
Avery froze.
“Why?”
“He needs your signature.”
“For the trust.”
“Yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
Victoria inhaled.
“He’ll make you watch what happens next.”
The call ended.
Avery stood abruptly.
She went toward Leo’s bedroom.
The bed was empty.
For one horrifying second she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
Then she noticed the open bathroom window.
The curtain moved in the night air.
On the pillow lay Leo’s stuffed dinosaur.
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
SIGN OVER THE VOTING TRUST.
MIDNIGHT.
COME ALONE.
And underneath:
IF LIAM STERLING CONTACTS THE POLICE, HIS SON DIES.
PART 8 — THE PRICE OF A SON
Avery didn’t scream.
She became still.
Terrifyingly still.
Julian had known her long enough to understand that Avery’s silence was more dangerous than panic.
“How?” she asked.
The federal agent guarding the hallway looked sick.
“We’re checking cameras.”
“How did someone enter a federal safe apartment?”
“No one entered.”
Julian was already examining the window.
“This wasn’t the extraction point.”
Avery looked at him.
“What?”
“He was moved through the service corridor.”
The agent’s face went pale.
“That’s impossible.”
Julian turned.
“Then somebody inside your protection detail is compromised.”
Twenty minutes later they found the footage.
A man wearing an FBI windbreaker had walked through the rear corridor holding Leo’s hand.
Leo looked calm.
Because the man had shown him something.
A phone.
On the screen was Liam.
Except Liam hadn’t called.
The video was artificial.
Perfect voice.
Perfect face.
“Dad said Mom sent me.”
Four seconds of manufactured trust.
That was all it had taken.
Avery watched the footage once.