Chapter 11 - THE SHOT
Florence screamed.
Edward threw himself toward her.
The bullet struck the metal chair frame.
Victoria fired again.
Nothing happened.
The weapon jammed.
Daniel lunged for it.
Edward hit him hard enough to send them both into the stone wall.
Police flooded the chamber.
“DOWN!”
“DROP IT!”
Daniel froze.
Mason collapsed to his knees.
Victoria ran.
Again.
She disappeared through the rear passage before officers reached her.
Mitchell cut Florence free.
Edward grabbed his mother.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.”
She touched his face.
“You came.”
“Of course I came.”
Florence smiled through tears.
“I knew you would.”
Mitchell shouted from the tunnel.
“Edward!”
They followed.
The rear passage ended at the old family greenhouse.
Glass walls glowed under the moonlight.
Victoria stood inside holding the golden key.
She had nowhere left to run.
Edward entered.
“Give it up.”
Victoria laughed breathlessly.
“For what?”
“You think prison scares me?”
“It should.”
“I’ve rebuilt my life three times.”
Edward stopped several feet away.
“You mean you’ve stolen three lives.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
“You think your family is innocent?”
“This mansion.”
“That trust.”
“The businesses.”
“All built by people who crushed someone weaker.”
Edward stared.
“So that justified what you did to my mother?”
“No.”
Her voice softened.
“That was personal.”
“Why?”
“She looked at me like she knew.”
“She did know.”
“She treated me like garbage.”
“My mother welcomed you into her home.”
“She investigated me!”
“Because you were lying.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“She never believed I belonged here.”
Edward shook his head.
“You didn’t want to belong here.”
“You wanted to own it.”
Victoria’s face broke.
For one strange second, she looked exhausted rather than evil.
“I grew up with nothing.”
“So did millions of people.”
“You don’t get to destroy them because you were poor.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Then explain Martin.”
She said nothing.
“Explain Howard.”
Nothing.
“Explain my mother.”
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
But Edward no longer knew whether they were real.
Finally she whispered,
“Martin was supposed to sign.”
Edward felt cold.
“When he refused?”
“He threatened Daniel.”
“So you killed him?”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”
Behind Edward, Caroline had entered with Mitchell.
Victoria saw her.
Her face changed.
Caroline whispered,
“You pushed him.”
Victoria looked away.
“My father begged you.”
Victoria’s mouth tightened.
“He grabbed me.”
Caroline stepped closer.
“So you pushed him off a balcony?”
Victoria screamed,
“He was going to ruin everything!”
The greenhouse went silent.
Mitchell’s body camera captured every word.
Caroline began sobbing.
Victoria realized what she had done.
She looked toward Edward.
He said quietly,
“It’s over.”
Victoria stared at the golden key in her palm.
Then she smiled.
“No.”
She turned and threw the heirloom through the greenhouse glass.
It shattered outward.
The key vanished into the darkness.
Florence gasped.
Victoria laughed.
“Now nobody gets the vault.”
Julian, standing behind the officers, calmly said,
“Actually…”
Everyone turned.
“The vault was emptied six months ago.”
Victoria’s smile disappeared.
Julian continued.
“Florence moved everything.”
Victoria whispered,
“What?”
Florence stepped forward.
“I knew you were after the money.”
Victoria stared at her.
“So I gave you something else to chase.”
May you like
The golden key had never protected the fortune.
It had been bait.
