Chapter 11
Clara stood up from the armchair, her mind racing as she processed Evelyn's frantic confession.
"Who forced Ethan to steal the money, Evelyn?" Clara demanded, her voice dropping into a stern command.
"Give me a name right now or I am calling your probation officer!"
"It was... it was Richard Vance!" Evelyn blurted out, her voice shaking violently over the crackling line.
"Your father's own younger brother! He set Ethan up to take the fall so he could buy up company stock!"
Clara felt a cold chill run down her spine as the name echoed through her head.
Richard Vance was the Vice Chairman of Vance Enterprises and Arthur's most trusted business partner for thirty years.
"Evelyn, if you are lying to me to get Ethan out of prison—" Clara warned tightly.
"I'm not lying! I have the recorded phone calls stored on a flash drive in my safety deposit box!" Evelyn interrupted.
"Richard told Ethan that if he didn't hit you that night to provoke a public scandal, he would kill his entire family!"
Clara gasped, dropping her cider cup onto the plush rug as the truth hit her like a physical blow.
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Ethan hadn't just snapped out of nowhere that night in the living room...
He was being blackmailed and orchestrated by her uncle Richard to destroy Arthur's line of succession.
