Chapter 5 - The Gathering Storm
Inside the house, Chloe was sleeping more comfortably, her fever finally beginning to break under the cool damp cloth I had placed on her forehead.
I sat in the armchair beside the sofa, my mind racing through the legal filings, bank statements, and property deeds I needed to gather before George made it back from the coast. Aunt Ellen's original deed was locked in the master bedroom safe—a safe George didn't know I had installed a secondary biometric override on three years ago.
As I stood up to walk toward the bedroom, a heavy knock echoed against the front door.
It wasn't the police. And it certainly wasn't George—he was still at least two hours away if he drove straight through without stopping.
I walked cautiously to the entryway and peered through the sidelight window.
Standing on the porch was an unfamiliar man in an expensive gray tweed suit, holding a thick manila legal envelope. Behind him idling at the curb was a sleek black sedan with tinted windows.
I unlocked the front door and pulled it open a few inches, keeping the security chain latched.
"Mrs. Rhodes?" the man asked politely, though his eyes were sharp and calculating.
"I'm Lucy Vance," I corrected him.
"My apologies, Mrs. Vance," the man said, adjusting his tie. "I represent Julian Rhodes. My employer asked me to deliver this envelope directly to you regarding the upcoming commercial acquisition of your property's front storefront—the one currently leased by Vance & Co. Salon."
I stared at him, my brow furrowing. "I never agreed to sell the storefront."
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The man offered a thin, enigmatic smile, sliding the thick envelope through the narrow gap of the chain.
"Mr. Rhodes anticipated your hesitation," the man said quietly. "He asked me to tell you that he knows exactly what your ex-husband and your former brother-in-law did to your savings. And he is prepared to offer you an acquisition price that will not only destroy their business empire forever... but give you absolute, untouchable custody of your daughter."
