Chapter 4 - The Confrontation
Elena turned, shielding her eyes with her hand.
Standing in the doorway was Margaret Mercer, wearing a sweeping velvet robe, holding a small silver revolver pointed steadily at Elena’s chest. Beside her stood a burly security guard wearing a dark uniform.
"Hand over the box, Elena," Margaret said, her voice dropping to a icy register. "You always were too nosy for your own good. David should have married a woman from our social circle—someone who understood how to protect a family's reputation."
"You hid his daughter!" Elena shouted, standing up and clutching the journals to her chest. "David had a child before we ever met! You bought off her mother and locked her away in Vermont so you wouldn't have to divide the trust!"
"I protected this family!" Margaret spat, her regal facade cracking to reveal a twisted, desperate fury. "Sarah Lin was a waitress! A nobody! A child born out of wedlock would have destroyed our standing on the hospital board and the estate council! And David... David was too weak to stand up to me."
"David was terrified of you!" Elena countered, stepping forward despite the gun pointed at her. "Just like Noah was! You starved my son! You made your own grandson hide food under his pillow because you wanted to present him as unfit to the court!"
Margaret’s eyes flickered with a chilling lack of remorse. "Grant was supposed to handle the boy. He went too far with the striking, but the strategy was sound. If Noah was declared frail and sickly, the court would have extended my guardianship, and I would have retained absolute control of David’s portion of the estate."
"You're a monster, Margaret," Elena said softly.
"I am a Mercer," Margaret corrected coldly. "And you are trespassing on private property with intent to steal. George, take the box from her."
The guard took a step toward Elena.
Suddenly, the blare of police sirens shattered the quiet night outside. Red and blue lights flashed through the high attic windows, illuminating the dust motes in the air.
May you like
Margaret’s head snapped toward the window in shock. "What is that?"
"I'm an attorney's sister, Margaret," Elena said, a dark smile spreading across her lips. "I activated my phone's emergency location tracker the second I unlocked the side gate. Clara had the sheriff on speed dial."
