Chapter 11 - THE CONFESSIONI screamed.
“Dad!”
He stepped into the light.
He was holding a gun.
My mother stood frozen.
Savannah was bleeding but conscious.
“You shot your own daughter.”
“She'll live.”
“You could have killed her.”
“I warned you.”
My father looked at my mother.
“You were supposed to stay dead.”
My mother laughed through tears.
“You should know me better.”
“You ruined everything.”
“No.”
She pointed at me.
“She did.”
My father's gaze shifted to me.
“You always had to be difficult.”
I stared at him.
“Why me?”
He lowered the gun.
“Because your grandfather chose you.”
“For what?”
“To inherit everything.”
“And you couldn't stand that.”
“I built the empire.”
“With stolen money.”
“I built it.”
I shook my head.
“You stole it.”
He smiled coldly.
“Do you know what your grandfather did?”
“No.”
“He trusted people.”
“And?”
“Trust gets you killed.”
He looked toward my mother.
“That's why she had to die.”
My mother whispered:
“You tried to kill me.”
“I tried to stop the investigation.”
“You buried the evidence.”
“I had no choice.”
“You always had a choice.”
He looked at me again.
“Your grandfather left ninety percent of the estate to Clara.”
“Then why did you have control?”
“Because I was executor.”
“Until I turned twenty-five.”
“Yes.”
“And I'm twenty-five now.”
His face changed.
“Exactly.”
I realized.
He had only a few more days before full control transferred.
He had spent fifteen years preventing me from reaching this moment.
Then my father's phone rang.
He looked at it.
The screen displayed one word.
HALE.
Judge Hale.
My father answered.
“Yes?”
A man's voice came through.
“Where is Clara?”
My father looked at me.
“She knows.”
The voice became angry.
“Then finish it.”
My father hung up.
I stared at him.
“Finish what?”
He didn't answer.
My mother did.
“He was supposed to kill you tonight.”
I felt the room spin.
“Why hasn't he?”
My father looked at me.
“Because I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He smiled.
“Because I finally realized something.”
He stepped closer.
“You're worth more alive.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
He pulled out a document.
A life insurance policy.
My name.
$50 million.
Beneficiary:
Walker Holdings.
I stared.
He had insured my life.
Then I saw the date.
Issued six months ago.
The month I moved back into his house.
My blood ran cold.
“You planned this.”
“Yes.”
“You've been waiting for me to die.”
He smiled.
“No.”
He raised the gun.
“I've been waiting for the right moment.”
A siren suddenly sounded outside.
My father turned.
Police cars surrounded the church.
He cursed.
My mother smiled.
“I called them.”
My father looked at me.
Then he whispered:
“This isn't over.”
He dropped the gun.
Police stormed inside.
As they handcuffed him, he leaned toward me.
“You still don't know who signed the order.”
“What order?”
“The one that put Zoe in danger.”
I stared.
He smiled.
May you like
Then said:
“Your own mother.”
