Chapter 11 - Marcus ran.The moment I saw the photograph, I knew he would.
He was gone before security could stop him.
I chased him through the side corridor.
He sprinted toward the loading dock.
“Marcus!”
He didn't turn.
I followed him outside.
Rain had begun falling.
He jumped into a black SUV.
I reached the vehicle just before he slammed the door.
He accelerated.
I stepped back.
The SUV disappeared into traffic.
I stood in the rain.
Sabrina ran toward me.
“Dad!”
I looked at her.
“He took something.”
“What?”
“The trust file.”
We returned to the ballroom.
The police had detained Evan.
Victoria was being questioned.
Paul was still hospitalized.
Emily and Clara were under protective custody.
And my daughter was sitting alone in a wedding dress that would never be worn.
I sat beside her.
“You okay?”
“No.”
I nodded.
“Fair.”
She looked at me.
“Are you angry with me?”
“Yes.”
She looked down.
“But not because you chose Raymond.”
She looked confused.
“I’m angry because you believed I could stop loving you.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was stupid.”
“You were manipulated.”
“I still hurt you.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
I put my hand over hers.
“I know.”
Then the police chief entered.
He had a file.
“Mr. Mercer.”
“Yes?”
“We traced the SUV.”
“Where?”
“Airport.”
My heart sank.
“Marcus is trying to leave the country.”
“Can you stop him?”
“We have a warrant.”
Then the chief opened the file.
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“Marcus transferred money last night.”
“To whom?”
He showed me the statement.
My eyes widened.
The recipient was Daniel Mercer.
My own name.
I stared.
“He transferred money to me?”
“No.”
The chief pointed at the account number.
“It is not your account.”
My blood ran cold.
Someone had opened an account using my identity.
And it had received $2.4 million.
“What was the source?”
The chief hesitated.
“Your father's trust.”
I felt dizzy.
Someone had already accessed it.
“How?”
“We don't know.”
I looked at Sabrina.
She whispered:
“Evan?”
“No.”
I knew the answer.
“Marcus.”
The police chief nodded.
“But the bigger problem is where the money went next.”
He opened another page.
The $2.4 million had been transferred to seven accounts.
Seven countries.
Seven names.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Daniel Mercer.
My identity had become a weapon.
Someone was laundering money through me.
And if they succeeded, I would become the perfect suspect.
The chief looked at me.
“Sir, we may need to arrest you.”
Sabrina stood.
“What?”
The chief immediately raised a hand.
“Not yet.”
He turned to me.
“Unless we can prove you were not responsible.”
I laughed.
“I have spent my entire life building a clean name.”
“And now someone has built a crime around it.”
“Yes.”
He sighed.
“Exactly.”
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A distorted voice said:
“You have twelve hours.”
“Who is this?”
“Someone who knows where Emily is.”
I looked at Emily.
She was right in front of me.
The voice continued.
“You think you found the truth.”
I said nothing.
“You only found the first layer.”
“What do you want?”
“Your daughter's inheritance.”
“It belongs to her.”
“Not anymore.”
The call ended.
A message immediately appeared.
A photo.
Sabrina.
Outside the police station.
Taken less than one minute ago.
She wasn't alone.
A black van was parked behind her.
I looked up.
Sabrina was beside me.
The photograph was real.
But impossible.
Until I realized something.
The timestamp was fifteen minutes in the future.
I stared at the screen.
The police chief saw it.
His expression changed.
“That's not possible.”
Then the lights in the ballroom went out.
A gunshot echoed.
May you like
Everyone screamed.
When the emergency lights came back on, Sabrina was gone.
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