Chapter 1
The high-pitched, blood-curdling scream from my sister-in-law Vanessa echoed through the tight wood-paneled walls of Dad’s private library.
She staggered backward, her manicured hand flying to her chest, her fingers clutching the diamond necklace Marcus had given her for their anniversary.
The photograph clipped to the primary bank audit folder was a crystal-clear high-definition surveillance image taken outside the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Chicago.
It showed Marcus, dressed in his tailored funeral suit, holding the door open for a striking blonde woman wearing a red trench coat and dark sunglasses.
The woman was Chloe, Vanessa’s younger sister and the godmother to Marcus and Vanessa’s two young children.
Marcus stood frozen near the open safe, his split knuckles dripping a faint drop of blood onto the antique oriental rug beneath his feet.
“Vanessa... wait... please, let me explain,” Marcus stammered, his voice cracking into a high-pitched, pathetic whimper of absolute panic.
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“It isn’t what it looks like! She was helping me organize Dad’s medical debt! She was helping me with the estate!”
Vanessa didn’t utter a single word; she simply stared at her husband with an expression of pure, unadulterated revulsion and horror.
