Chapter 4 - The Woman Behind the Scheme
By the time I returned to St. Jude's, the sun was rising.
Julian was awake.
Clarissa was still being monitored.
Marcus stayed beside me.
When Julian saw us, his expression tightened.
“Rebecca.”
I didn't respond.
He looked at Marcus.
“Get her out of here.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“You don't get to give orders anymore.”
Julian's face hardened.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing.”
I placed the folder on the chair.
“You're going to tell us.”
Julian stared at me.
“What?”
“Everything.”
He looked away.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
I opened the folder.
I placed the forged document on the table.
“You created this.”
“No.”
“Then explain the signature.”
“I didn't.”
“Then who did?”
Silence.
I placed another document beside it.
Then another.
His confidence began disappearing.
Marcus watched him.
“You stole from the company.”
Julian shook his head.
“No.”
“You lied to my sister.”
“Rebecca…”
“You married her for control.”
“That's insane.”
I played the recording again.
Julian's own voice filled the room.
His face went pale.
Marcus stared at him.
“You said it.”
Julian closed his eyes.
Clarissa began crying from the other side of the curtain.
“You promised me she would never know.”
Julian turned toward her.
“Shut up.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You knew?”
Clarissa sobbed.
“I thought he loved me.”
Marcus laughed without humor.
“He used you too.”
Clarissa looked at Julian.
“Is that true?”
Julian said nothing.
She covered her face.
I felt no satisfaction.
Only exhaustion.
Five years of my life had been built around a lie.
The doctors eventually allowed Julian to speak privately with his attorney.
Before that happened, he looked at me.
“What do you want?”
“The truth.”
“You already have it.”
“No.”
I leaned closer.
“I have evidence. I want the truth.”
He stared at me.
Then he said something I never expected.
“Your aunt knew.”
My heart stopped.
“Vivian?”
He nodded.
“She introduced us.”
I stepped backward.
Marcus looked at me.
“What?”
Julian continued.
“She knew about the trust.”
I felt dizzy.
“She knew about my shares?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she believed she should have inherited them.”
I stared at him.
The betrayal suddenly became much larger.
My aunt had always told me she wanted to protect the family.
She had told me my grandfather's business belonged to all of us.
But apparently, she had believed it belonged to her.
Julian had been her solution.
He married me.
He gained access.
He built trust.
Then he planned to take control.
I left the room.
Marcus followed.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
We sat in the hallway.
For a while, I stared at the floor.
Then Marcus said:
“Rebecca, there's something I need to tell you.”
I looked at him.
“Before tonight, I had already been investigating Julian.”
“What?”
“I didn't trust him.”
“Why?”
“Because my father told me he suspected Julian before he died.”
I swallowed.
“Why didn't you warn me?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“I called you.”
“I don't remember.”
“Julian answered.”
My stomach tightened.
“What did he say?”
“He told me you were under stress and didn't want to talk.”
I closed my eyes.
Another lie.
Another carefully constructed wall.
Marcus continued.
“I contacted an attorney.”
“The one in the photograph?”
“Yes.”
“What did he find?”
“He believed money was being moved through multiple companies.”
I looked at him.
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“He needed evidence.”
I nodded.
Now everything made sense.
My private investigator.
Marcus's investigation.
The documents in Julian's safe.
The hidden companies.
The offshore transfers.
The forged signatures.
The affair.
It wasn't random.
It was a system.
A system designed to isolate me.
Then my phone rang.
My aunt.
Vivian.
I answered.
“Rebecca.”
Her voice was strangely calm.
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“Julian called me.”
I said nothing.
“I know you've found the safe.”
My blood went cold.
“How?”
Silence.
Then she said:
“Because I was the one who helped him build it.”
I looked at Marcus.
He could hear her voice.
“What did you do?”
“I protected this family.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You protected yourself.”
She sighed.
“You don't understand what your grandfather did.”
“What did he do?”
“He chose you.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Your grandfather left controlling authority to you.”
I stared at Marcus.
“That was never supposed to happen.”
Vivian continued.
“Your grandfather believed you were the only person capable of protecting the company.”
I understood.
The entire plan had been built around taking that authority away from me.
My aunt had helped Julian.
Julian had manipulated me.
Clarissa had become his secret partner.
And my husband had been preparing to steal the company my grandfather trusted me to protect.
I whispered:
“You all thought I was weak.”
Vivian didn't answer.
That was enough.
I hung up.
Marcus looked at me.
“What now?”
I stood.
May you like
“Now we stop them.”
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