The flight back to the city was a blur of cold efficiency. By the time the private jet touched down on the private tarmac, the tropical sun was a distant memory, replaced by the biting wind of the city.
Liam was waiting for them at the bottom of the airstairs, a thick manila folder in his hand. He didn't offer a greeting. He just handed the folder to Elara.
"Julian and a team of movers bypassed the city court," Liam reported as they walked toward the waiting Maybach. "He bribed a lower-circuit judge to sign an emergency injunction. He is currently at the Vance ancestral estate, ordering the staff to vacate the premises and attempting to seize the physical assets."
Elara flipped open the folder. Inside was a copy of the document Julian had filed.
It was a 'Transfer of Authority' contract, allegedly signed by her mother, Margaret Vance, three months before she passed away. It stated that due to Elara's youth and inexperience, full control of the estate and its liquid assets was to be entrusted to her future husband, Julian Cross.
Elara stared at the signature at the bottom of the page. It looked perfect. The loops, the pressure, the slight slant—it was an exact replica of her mother's handwriting.
A cold, lethal fury settled in her veins. In her past life, she had been so blinded by grief that she had let him manage her mother's things without question. She hadn't realized he was capable of this level of premeditated venom.
Alexander slid into the back of the Maybach beside her, his presence a massive, dark anchor. He glanced at the forged signature.
"Liam has already located the forger," Alexander stated calmly. "He's currently having a very uncomfortable conversation with my security team in a warehouse downtown. We can have him confess to the police in an hour."
"No," Elara said softly, closing the folder.
Alexander raised a dark eyebrow.
"If we just hand over the forger, Julian will claim he was duped by his lawyers. He'll play the victim again and drag this out in court for months," Elara explained, her voice entirely devoid of emotion. She looked out the tinted window as the car sped toward the estate. "I want him to play his card. I want him to stand in my mother's house, declare his victory, and then I am going to bury him so deep no lawyer will ever touch him again."
Alexander studied her profile for a long moment. Then, a slow, dark smirk curved his lips. He leaned back, resting his arm across the top of the leather seat.
"Drive faster, Liam," Alexander ordered. "My wife has an execution to attend."
The iron gates of the Vance ancestral estate were wide open.
Three large moving trucks were parked on the circular driveway. Men in gray uniforms were carrying antique vases, wrapped paintings, and heavy oak chairs out the front door of the sprawling stone mansion.
Standing on the front steps, directing the chaos like a lord surveying his kingdom, was Julian. Chloe stood beside him, pointing excitedly at a specific vintage mirror she wanted loaded onto the truck.
Elara stepped out of the Maybach. She didn't wear a red trench coat this time. She wore a sharp, tailored black suit. She looked like she was arriving at a funeral.
"Put that down."
Elara's voice wasn't a scream, but it cracked through the busy driveway like a whip.
A mover carrying a heavy silver tea set froze on the steps.
Julian snapped his head toward the driveway. When he saw Elara, he flinched instinctively, his eyes darting immediately to the terrifying man stepping out of the car behind her.
Alexander didn't say a word. He simply buttoned his suit jacket, his pitch-black eyes locking onto his nephew. The sheer, overwhelming aura of the Cross patriarch caused half the moving crew to slowly set their boxes down on the grass and take several nervous steps back.
But Julian forced a smug, triumphant smile onto his face. He held up a thick stack of papers with a bright red court seal.
"You're trespassing, Elara," Julian called out, puffing his chest out. "I suggest you turn around before I have the police escort you off my property."
Elara walked up the stone pathway, her heels clicking methodically against the pavement. Alexander and Liam flanked her, a silent, lethal vanguard.
"Your property?" Elara stopped at the bottom of the steps, looking up at him with absolute disgust.
"Signed by your mother, authenticated by the state, and enforced by the court," Julian bragged, tapping the papers. "I tried to be nice. I tried to let you keep the house while you played your little revenge games. But since you want to steal my company, I am taking back what is legally mine. Your mother knew you were too unstable to handle this wealth."
Chloe peeked out from behind Julian's shoulder. "We really didn't want to do this, Elara. But Julian has to protect the family assets. You understand, don't you?"
Elara ignored the pathetic girl entirely. She held her hand out toward Julian. "Let me see it."
Julian scoffed. "You can see it when my lawyers serve you the eviction notice."
"Give it to her."
Alexander's deep, gravelly voice rolled across the lawn. It wasn't a request. It was a command that carried the unspoken threat of extreme physical violence.
Julian swallowed hard, the smugness faltering. His hands trembled slightly as he walked down two steps and handed the document to Elara.
Elara took the paper. She didn't rip it up. She didn't throw it in his face. She simply looked at the date stamped next to her mother's perfectly forged signature.
October 14th. Elara let out a soft, mocking laugh.
Julian frowned, taking a step back. "What's so funny? It's a legally binding document."
"It's a masterpiece, Julian. The signature is flawless," Elara agreed smoothly. She looked up, her eyes pinning him in place. "There's just one tiny, fatal flaw."
"There are no flaws. The notary signed off on it," Julian spat, crossing his arms defensively.
"My mother suffered a severe stroke on September 2nd of that year," Elara said, her voice dropping to a deadly, icy register. Every trace of amusement vanished from her face. "It paralyzed the entire right side of her body. She spent the last four months of her life in a private care facility, completely unable to hold a pen, let alone sign a legal document."
The color drained from Julian's face in a rush. He stared at Elara, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
He didn't know. Because during those four months, Julian had been too busy sleeping with Chloe in cheap hotels to ever visit her dying mother in the hospital.
"You forged a signature on a date when my mother was physically paralyzed," Elara continued, stepping up the stairs, forcing Julian to backpedal until his spine hit the massive front doors. "You bypassed the high court because you knew a real judge would pull the medical records. You bribed a lower-circuit judge to steal a dead woman's house."
"Y-You're lying," Julian stammered, his eyes darting frantically around the driveway. The moving crew was actively backing away toward the street, wanting no part of this. "I have the paper! It's real!"
Elara didn't respond. She turned her head slightly. "Liam."
Liam stepped forward, pulling his ringing phone from his pocket. He pressed a button and held it up.
A frantic, terrified voice blared through the speakerphone. "I did it! I forged it! Julian Cross paid me fifty thousand dollars to copy the signature! Please, just tell Mr. Cross to call off his dogs, I'll testify to whatever you want!"
The call clicked off.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Julian's knees buckled. He slumped against the heavy oak doors, the arrogant façade completely destroyed. Chloe let out a pathetic squeak, taking several steps away from Julian, trying to distance herself from the sinking ship.
Elara looked down at the man who had murdered her in a past life. He looked so small now. So utterly pathetic.
"Forgery. Bribing a judge. Attempted grand larceny," Elara listed calmly, folding the paper and handing it back to Liam. She looked Julian dead in the eye. "You aren't just bankrupt, Julian. You are going to prison."
Question to guide Chapter 18: The police are about to arrive to arrest Julian! When they put him in cuffs, does he scream a shocking secret about Chloe to drag her down with him, or does he try to lunge at Elara in a final act of desperation, forcing Alexander to physically intervene?