Chapter 4 - The Bride’s SurpriseVictoria stood beneath an arch of white roses while the room applauded.
At nine fifteen, the orchestra began playing in the ballroom.
Guests crowded around Ethan and Victoria.
Champagne flowed.
Laughter covered footsteps.
Judith slipped into the west corridor.
Charles Blackwood’s study had been left almost untouched since his death.
Ethan could not bring himself to renovate it.
The room still smelled faintly of leather, cedar, and the pipe tobacco Charles had stopped smoking twenty years before he died.
Judith locked the door behind her.
She went to the desk.
Charles’s old desktop computer sat beneath a cloth.
“No internet,” she whispered.
“For once, Charles, your paranoia may save us.”
She powered it on.
The machine took nearly four minutes.
Judith inserted the flash drive.
A password request appeared.
She cursed under her breath.
Then she noticed the password hint.
The day she said yes.
Judith knew immediately.
Charles and Margaret’s anniversary.
June 12, 1978.
She typed 061278.
Wrong.
She tried 120678.
Wrong.
Then she remembered how Charles always wrote dates in full.
JUNE121978.
The drive opened.
Folders appeared.
BANK.
MEDICAL.
E.B.
M.B.
C.B.
AUDIO.
VIDEO.
TRANSFER.
Judith felt sick.
She clicked C.B.
Charles Blackwood.
Inside were scanned medical reports, dosage charts, and photographs of prescription bottles.
Some belonged to Charles.
Others did not.
One spreadsheet contained dates.
Dosages.
Symptoms.
And notes.
Drowsiness increased.
Confusion stronger after wine.
C.B. questioning Victoria about foundation accounts.
Increase evening dose.
Judith covered her mouth.
Charles had not become mysteriously ill.
Someone had been experimenting on him.
She clicked another document.
A death certificate.
Charles Blackwood had died after falling down the west staircase.
The official explanation: dizziness related to an undiagnosed neurological condition.
But another file included a typed note.
He almost caught me in the study. Had to accelerate.
Judith’s hands began shaking.
She opened AUDIO.
Dozens of recordings.
She clicked the first.
Victoria’s voice came through the old computer speakers.
“If Charles signs before the merger, we don’t need Ethan’s approval.”
A man answered.
The voice was unfamiliar.
“What if he refuses?”
“Then we keep him confused until he doesn’t know what he’s signing.”
Judith stopped the recording.
Her eyes filled with tears.
She had served Charles coffee every morning for twenty-nine years.
She had been the one who found him at the bottom of the stairs.
She had blamed herself for not hearing him fall sooner.
Now anger replaced grief.
“Who are you talking to?”
She searched the remaining files.
Emails.
Bank statements.
Photographs.
A shell corporation named Brighton Meridian Holdings had received almost eighty million dollars from Blackwood charitable accounts over eighteen months.
One authorized signature appeared repeatedly.
Victoria Sinclair.
But another signature made Judith lean closer.
Daniel Mercer.
She knew the name.
Everyone in the company did.
Daniel Mercer was Ethan’s chief financial officer.
His best friend.
His college roommate.
Best man at the wedding.
Judith whispered, “No.”
She clicked VIDEO.
The screen showed grainy footage from a hidden camera.
Victoria and Daniel stood inside a hotel room.
They were arguing.
“You promised me Ethan would be out after the wedding,” Daniel said.
Victoria crossed her arms.
“And he will be.”
“Out of the company?”
“Out of everything.”
Judith’s blood went cold.
Daniel stared at her.
“That wasn’t the deal.”
“The deal changed when Ethan refused to put my name on the family trust.”
“You said we were taking control, not killing him.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“You didn’t complain when Charles died.”
Daniel looked away.
Judith stopped the video.
She sat frozen.
Daniel Mercer knew.
Maybe he had not pushed Charles.
Maybe he had not administered the drugs.
But he knew enough.
And Daniel was downstairs standing beside Ethan right now.
Judith pulled the drive from the computer.
She needed to get Ethan alone.
No.
She needed more than that.
Because once Victoria understood the evidence had been seen, she would destroy what she could and run.
Police.
They needed police.
Judith reached for the landline.
No dial tone.
She tried again.
Nothing.
Then the lights in the study went out.
Judith froze.
The rest of the house still glowed beyond the curtains.
Only the study had gone dark.
Someone had cut power to this room.
She stood.
A sound came from the hallway.
The doorknob moved.
Judith slipped the flash drive into her shoe.
The lock clicked.
A key turned from the other side.
The door opened.
Daniel Mercer stepped inside.
He wore a black tuxedo and carried two glasses of bourbon.
“Judith.”
He smiled.
“There you are.”
She stared at him.
“Mr. Mercer.”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for Ethan.”
“He’s not here.”
“I can see that.”
Daniel entered and closed the door.
His gaze traveled to the uncovered computer.
Then to the USB port.
His smile faded.
“What were you doing?”
“Looking at old photographs.”
“In the dark?”
“The power just failed.”
Daniel set the glasses on the desk.
“Interesting.”
Judith moved toward the door.
“If you’ll excuse me, the caterer needs—”
Daniel blocked her.
“Where is it?”
She stared at him.
“Where is what?”
“The flash drive Elena stole.”
Judith did not blink.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Daniel laughed softly.
“You’ve always been loyal.”
“Yes.”
“To the Blackwoods.”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes loyalty makes intelligent people reckless.”
Judith’s heart pounded.
“You should return to the party.”
“And you should tell me what Elena gave you.”
“She gave me nothing.”
Daniel studied her face.
Then he smiled.
“All right.”
He moved aside.
Judith walked toward the door.
As she passed him, Daniel suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
Judith twisted.
He shoved her against the desk.
The glasses crashed to the floor.
“Where is it?”
“Get your hands off me!”
He searched her pockets.
Nothing.
Judith slapped him.
Hard.
Daniel’s eyes flashed.
“You stupid old woman.”
He raised his hand.
The study door burst open.
Ethan stood there.
Behind him was Elena.
Nobody moved.
Ethan looked at Daniel’s hand gripping Judith’s arm.
His expression changed.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Daniel released her instantly.
“Ethan, this isn’t what it looks like.”
Judith leaned against the desk, breathing hard.
Ethan stepped forward.
“Then explain it.”
Daniel searched for words.
“She stole something.”
Ethan looked at Judith.
“Stole what?”
Daniel realized his mistake.
Judith saw it.
Elena saw it.
Ethan saw it too.
“You just said she stole something,” Ethan continued. “What?”
Daniel smiled nervously.
“A document.”
“What document?”
Daniel did not answer.
Elena spoke.
“A flash drive.”
Daniel looked at her.
Ethan turned.
“What flash drive?”
Elena’s fear of Victoria had not disappeared.
Neither had the image of Sofia.
But after seeing Daniel attack Judith, something inside her hardened.
She closed the study door.
“The one I found hidden in Victoria’s pillow.”
Ethan stared at her.
For the first time that night, the billionaire looked genuinely confused.
“What are you talking about?”
Judith bent down.
She removed her shoe.
Then the flash drive.
Daniel moved.
Ethan caught him by the chest.
“Don’t.”
Daniel stopped.
Judith placed the drive in Ethan’s hand.
“You need to see what’s on this.”
Ethan looked at Daniel.
His best friend would not meet his eyes.
That was all Ethan needed to know.
He inserted the drive.
Twenty minutes later, Ethan Blackwood sat motionless at his father’s desk.
He had watched the hotel video twice.
He had listened to Victoria discussing his mother’s medication.
He had seen accounts bearing his company’s name.
His father’s medical records.
His own dosage schedule.
The room seemed impossibly quiet.
Finally Ethan said, “My father.”
Nobody answered.
He looked at Judith.
“She killed my father.”
Judith’s eyes filled.
“We don’t know exactly what happened.”
Ethan turned toward Daniel.
“You do.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Ethan—”
“You knew.”
“I knew she was moving money.”
“You knew about the drugs.”
“Not at first.”
“When?”
Daniel’s silence answered.
Ethan stood.
Daniel backed away.
“I never wanted Charles dead.”
“But you let her do it.”
“I was trapped.”
“You were getting rich.”
“I was trying to get out.”
Ethan grabbed Daniel by the tuxedo.
“You watched her poison my mother.”
“I told Victoria to stop.”
“And me?”
Daniel looked at the floor.
Ethan’s voice broke.
“She’s been drugging me too?”
“Yes.”
The word landed like a gunshot.
Elena stepped closer.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
He released Daniel.
Then he looked toward the ballroom.
Victoria was downstairs.
Surrounded by friends.
Smiling beneath flowers she had chosen for their wedding.
Ethan reached for his phone.
“No.”
Daniel spoke quickly.
Ethan turned.
“If you call the police now, Victoria runs.”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
“You don’t understand.”
Daniel was pale.
“She has another copy of everything. And if she realizes we’ve turned on her, she has instructions in place.”
“What instructions?”
Daniel looked at Elena.
Her stomach dropped.
“What?”
Daniel swallowed.
“The maid’s daughter.”
Elena stopped breathing.
Daniel continued quietly.
“Victoria had someone following her.”
Ethan’s face changed.
“Where is Sofia now?”
“With a neighbor.”
Elena pulled out her phone.
She called.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Mrs. Patterson answered.
“Elena?”
“Is Sofia there?”
A pause.
“No, honey. I thought you sent someone.”
Elena could not speak.
“What do you mean?”
“A woman came about twenty minutes ago. She said there was an emergency at the estate and you needed Sofia brought to you.”
Elena’s knees nearly gave out.
Ethan caught her.
“What woman?”
“I don’t know. Blonde. Nice coat. She knew your name.”
Elena dropped the phone.
Daniel whispered, “Oh God.”
Ethan looked toward the ballroom.
Below them, applause erupted.
Victoria had stepped onto the stage.
May you like
A microphone in her hand.
And with a bright smile, she announced to two hundred guests that she had a surprise for her future husband.
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