Chapter 26 - The Final Message
Clara picked up the envelope, her fingers trembling slightly as she pulled out the heavy cardstock paper.
Written across the front in clean, elegant cursive script were six words that made her heart stop dead in her chest:
"Happy Fifth Birthday to my Heir."
Clara turned the card over, reading the message typed on the back:
"The Sterling Trust was just the outer wall, Clara."
"The real inheritance was deposited into a private vault in Geneva on the day Lily was born."
"The key inside this box opens Account #704."
"When she turns eighteen, the countdown ends, and the true empire begins."
Mark snatched the card from her hand, his face completely drained of color as he read the chilling text.
"Who sent this?" Mark gasped, his voice cracking with sheer panic. "Arthur is in federal custody!"
Clara reached into the box, picking up the small brass key resting beneath the teddy bear.
Etched onto the side of the metal key were three small initials:
E.V.S.
May you like
Eleanor Vance Sterling.
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