Chapter 4
The brilliant afternoon sun beat down on the pavement as Sarah dragged the two children through the heavy wrought-iron gate, slamming it shut behind them. The latch clicked just as Sabrina reached the metal bars, screaming curses that echoed down the affluent, tree-lined street.
"Get in the car! Quickly!" Sarah ordered, unlocking her weathered sedan.
Grace scrambled into the backseat, pulling her ruined hair over her face to hide her tears. Connor dove in right behind her, locking the doors with shaking hands. Sarah jumped into the driver’s seat, her medical scrubs clinging to her sweat-dampened skin. She threw the car into drive and slammed her foot on the gas. The tires screeched against the asphalt, leaving the sprawling, pristine estate behind.
They drove in silence for ten minutes, navigating through the bright, affluent neighborhoods until they reached a busy commercial strip. Sarah pulled the car into the back corner of a brightly lit diner parking lot. She threw the car into park and turned around in her seat to look at the children.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice softening as she reached back to gently touch Grace’s cheek.
Grace nodded silently, fresh tears spilling down her rosy cheeks. "Mommy, my hair looks awful."
"It's just hair, sweetie. We can fix it. I promise," Sarah reassured her, though her heart shattered looking at the jagged cuts. She turned her attention to the ten-year-old boy shivering in the corner. "Connor. Talk to me. What is on this tablet?"
Connor swallowed hard. "They were talking about the trust fund, Aunt Sarah. The money Uncle David left for Grace."
Sarah frowned. "David didn't leave a trust fund, Connor. His business went bankrupt right before the car accident. That's why we’ve been struggling. That's why Sabrina and your Grandmother pay our rent."
"They lied," Connor whispered, his blue eyes wide with fear. "I heard them. Grandmother said the offshore accounts finally cleared. She said they siphoned over four million dollars from Uncle David’s company before he died."
Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. The inside of the car felt suddenly suffocating despite the air conditioning. She looked down at the digital tablet resting on the center console.
"Show me," Sarah commanded.
Connor leaned forward, his small fingers swiping across the bright screen. He opened a hidden folder and tapped a video file.
The screen illuminated the interior of the Grandmother's luxurious, sunlit study. The camera angle was low, shooting from beneath a heavy mahogany desk. Sabrina's floral trousers and the Grandmother's elegant flats were visible pacing across the hardwood floor.
The audio was crisp and clear.
"The lawyers finalized the transfer this morning," the Grandmother's cold, aristocratic voice echoed through the car speakers. "The shell company absorbed the last of David's assets. Sarah suspects nothing."
May you like
"She’s too busy working double shifts at the hospital to look at a ledger," Sabrina laughed cruelly. "But what if she demands a new autopsy? The coroner was asking questions about the brake lines on David's car."
"I paid the coroner," Grandmother replied, her tone chillingly dismissive. "David's accident will remain an accident. Grace will never see a dime of that money, and Sarah will remain under my heel forever."
