Chapter 13 - The True Identity Of The Man Who Died In The Fire
Back inside the grand dining room, Arthur opened the final leather-bound envelope inside the historic dossier.
A faded black-and-white photograph slipped out onto the wood, showing two young men smiling outside a shipyard.
“Thomas... and Jonathan,” Arthur whispered, tracing the features of the man who had pulled him from the burning wreckage.
“My father carried a physical scar across his chest from that fire until the day he passed away,” Caleb told him.
“He threw me through the second-story window just before the roof collapsed... he saved my life at the cost of his own future,” Arthur recalled.
“He didn't just save your life, Arthur; he protected the family honor when your brother-in-law tried to burn it to ash,” Caleb corrected.
Arthur picked up the photograph, pressing it gently against his chest as if embracing the ghost of his past.
“I will transfer every single asset, every property, and every penny back to the Vance estate by sunrise,” Arthur vowed.
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“The legal paperwork is already prepared for your signature,” Caleb replied, sliding a final document across the table.
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