Chapter 10 - The Agreement Arthur Never Mentioned
Arthur didn't deny it.
That frightened me more than if he had.
"What agreement?"
He looked toward Evelyn.
She smiled.
Not because she had won.
Because Arthur had finally lost the ability to control what I learned.
"Sophia," he said, "your father and I made decisions years ago that we believed would protect both families."
"Stop talking like a lawyer."
His jaw tightened.
"Sterling Point was originally purchased jointly."
My pulse slowed.
"What?"
"Your father provided most of the capital. Vance Holdings provided access rights and development infrastructure."
"Then why did I inherit all sixteen acres?"
"Because I transferred my interest to him."
"When?"
Arthur hesitated.
Evelyn answered.
"After the federal inquiry."
I turned toward her.
"What inquiry?"
Arthur's voice sharpened.
"Evelyn."
"No, let her hear it."
She looked at me.
"Your father wasn't the saint you remember."
I stepped closer.
"Careful."
She smiled.
"Ask Arthur why millions of dollars moved through development accounts attached to Sterling Point."
Arthur said, "Those transfers were not your father's."
"Then whose?"
He didn't answer.
Julian did.
"That's the whole problem."
I looked at him.
He leaned against the desk.
His tuxedo jacket was torn at the sleeve.
"Sterling Point was used as collateral for debt that never belonged to either family."
"Whose debt?"
"Nobody knows."
Evelyn snapped, "Julian."
He shrugged.
"What difference does it make? Peter already told her Arthur was involved."
Arthur glared at him.
"And Peter told you to marry her."
Julian's mouth tightened.
"At least I'm not pretending I did this for love anymore."
The words struck deeper than they should have.
I hated that they could still hurt me.
I looked away.
That was my mistake.
Julian moved.
He grabbed the forged page from my hand.
"No!"
He tore it once.
I lunged.
He tore it again.
Arthur shoved him.
The pieces scattered.
I dropped to my knees and grabbed them.
Julian's shoe came down on one half.
He stared at me.
"Still think you're leaving with evidence?"
I looked up at him.
Then I smiled.
His expression changed.
Because he had forgotten the USB.
The footage inside my dress.
I stood slowly.
"You really don't know what I copied."
For the first time, Julian looked uncertain.
Evelyn looked at him.
"What did she copy?"
He didn't answer.
Arthur did.
"The study videos."
Evelyn's face hardened.
"Which ones?"
I watched them realize the problem at the same time.
They didn't know what Arthur had kept.
That meant I had more leverage than I understood.
I backed toward the hall.
"I'm leaving."
Julian laughed.
"In what?"
I stopped.
"My car."
"Your keys are gone."
I reached for the hidden pocket in my gown.
Empty.
He smiled.
"Your purse is gone too."
Mara said, "I can drive her."
Evelyn turned.
"You're fired."
Mara's face barely changed.
"I figured."
Julian pulled out his phone.
"And if you take her anywhere, I'll report the Mercedes stolen."
Arthur said, "It's registered to the household trust."
"Which I control."
Arthur stared at him.
"No."
Julian smiled.
"Check."
Arthur went silent.
That was the moment the power shifted again.
The incapacity petition had worked.
At least partially.
Julian controlled something Arthur hadn't realized he'd lost.
I felt trapped.
No phone.
No keys.
No purse.
No way to know who outside the house I could trust.
Then Mara touched my arm.
"The service garage."
Evelyn heard her.
"Mara."
She ignored her.
"There's an old delivery van. Keys stay in it."
Julian moved toward the door.
Arthur blocked him.
"Let her leave."
Julian shoved his father.
Arthur stumbled.
I ran.
Mara came with me.
We reached the rear corridor.
Behind us, Julian shouted.
I pushed through the kitchen doors.
The service garage was twenty yards away through the covered breezeway.
We almost made it.
Then the garage lights turned off.
The automatic doors locked.
Mara stopped.
"That's not normal."
A low engine sound started inside.
I smelled exhaust.
"Mara."
She pulled at the door.
Locked.
The engine grew louder.
Someone had started the delivery van remotely inside the sealed garage.
I looked back toward the mansion.
A silhouette stood behind the glass doors.
Not Julian.
Not Evelyn.
Arthur.
And he wasn't looking at us.
May you like
He was looking at the garage control panel in his hand.
📖 Find out why Arthur appeared to trap us beside a sealed garage—and what Mara saw in his hand that changed my understanding of the entire night in CHAPTER 11. 👇
