CHAPTER 2: THE WOMAN IN CELL 12
CHAPTER 2: THE WOMAN IN CELL 12
Jail was not how I imagined spending my wedding day.
I sat alone in a holding cell.
Wedding dress.
Handcuffs.
Mascara running down my face.
Humiliated.
Terrified.
Angry.
Mostly angry.
The charges were ridiculous.
The police claimed millions of dollars had been transferred through accounts connected to my name.
The problem?
I had never seen those accounts before.
Someone had set me up.
And I knew exactly who.
Ryan.
My uncle.
Maybe others.
But proving it was another matter.
Hours later, a guard approached.
"You have a visitor."
I expected my parents.
Maybe a lawyer.
Instead, an elderly woman walked into the room.
Elegant.
Expensive suit.
Sharp eyes.
I had never seen her before.
Yet she smiled when she saw me.
"Hello, Emma."
"Who are you?"
She sat down calmly.
"My name is Victoria Hayes."
I frowned.
"Okay?"
She leaned forward.
"I worked for your grandfather."
That got my attention.
The woman slid a folder across the table.
Inside were photographs.
Contracts.
Financial records.
And one document that made my heart stop.
A will.
A different will.
My grandfather's signature covered the bottom.
"What is this?"
Victoria smiled.
"The real will."
My hands shook.
The inheritance wasn't three hundred million.
It was nearly one billion.
I stared at the number.
Unable to speak.
Victoria's expression darkened.
"Your grandfather knew someone would try to steal it."
A chill ran down my spine.
"He knew?"
"He expected it."
The room became quiet.
Then she opened another file.
Inside were surveillance photos.
Bank records.
Phone logs.
Evidence.
Lots of evidence.
Evidence connecting Ryan.
My uncle.
And several members of my family.
I looked up slowly.
"Can this clear my name?"
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
Then her smile disappeared.
"But there's a problem."
"What?"
She pointed at one photograph.
A photograph taken less than six hours earlier.
My blood ran cold.
Because it showed Ryan entering my apartment.
May you like
And leaving with a gas can.
END OF CHAPTER 2
