Chapter 8 — Jessica’s Second Lie
Chapter 8 — Jessica’s Second Lie
The gunshot echoed through the vault.
Claire screamed.
The man who had called himself her father collapsed against the marble wall.
Austin moved first.
He grabbed Claire and pulled her behind the security desk.
“Stay down!”
Another shot struck the metal door.
The banker dropped to the floor.
Eleanor screamed.
“Turn off the lights!”
The emergency system activated.
Everything went black.
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Someone was walking toward the fallen man.
Claire pressed a hand over her mouth.
She couldn't see.
But she could hear.
A voice whispered:
“Alexander.”
No response.
The footsteps stopped.
Then the person turned.
Claire heard the sound of a door opening.
And then silence.
The emergency lights returned thirty seconds later.
Claire crawled from behind the desk.
The man was gone.
Only a dark smear of blood remained on the floor.
Austin stared at it.
“He disappeared.”
Claire looked around.
“How?”
The banker pointed toward a narrow passage behind the vault.
“Emergency tunnel.”
Claire immediately ran toward it.
Austin followed.
“Claire!”
She ignored him.
The tunnel was empty.
At the far end, a metal door swung gently.
Someone had escaped.
Or someone had been taken.
Claire stopped.
On the floor lay a small silver object.
A ring.
She picked it up.
Inside was a single engraving.
I.V.
Isabelle Voss.
Her mother.
Claire closed her fingers around it.
“He was telling the truth.”
Austin looked at her.
“You don't know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How?”
She turned.
“Because my mother gave him this.”
They returned to the vault.
Eleanor was still sitting on the floor.
Her face was pale.
Claire walked toward her.
“You knew he was coming.”
“No.”
“You knew he was alive.”
“I suspected.”
“You knew my mother.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Alexander.”
Eleanor hesitated.
“Yes.”
Claire's voice became colder.
“Then why did you tell me he was dead?”
“Because he was supposed to be.”
“That isn't an answer.”
Eleanor looked at the blood on the floor.
“I believed he had been killed.”
“By whom?”
Eleanor said nothing.
Claire stepped closer.
“By Thomas?”
“No.”
“By my mother?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Eleanor whispered:
“Someone who wanted the Voss family erased.”
Claire stared at her.
“Who?”
Before Eleanor could answer, Claire's phone rang.
Jessica.
Claire almost ignored it.
Then she answered.
“Jessica?”
A trembling voice responded.
“Claire, you have to listen to me.”
“Where are you?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because they're watching me.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
Claire looked at Austin.
Jessica continued.
“I lied to you.”
Claire's jaw tightened.
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“What now?”
Jessica began crying.
“The pregnancy wasn't my first lie.”
Claire's stomach tightened.
“What was the first?”
“I told you I wanted Austin.”
“You did.”
“No.”
Jessica's voice cracked.
“I wanted something else.”
“What?”
“Your account.”
Claire went still.
“You knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Eleanor told me.”
Claire looked at Eleanor.
Eleanor's expression didn't change.
Jessica continued:
“She said you had an account in your name.”
“What else did she tell you?”
“That the account could control the company.”
Claire stared.
“So you faked the pregnancy to make me leave.”
“Yes.”
“And the share transfer?”
“Yes.”
“And the money?”
“I took some.”
“How much?”
Jessica didn't answer.
“Jessica.”
“Twenty-two million.”
Austin's face changed.
Claire's eyes hardened.
“You stole twenty-two million from me.”
“I was going to give it back.”
“When?”
“When I got what I wanted.”
“And what did you want?”
Jessica was silent.
Then:
“Freedom.”
Claire frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Jessica's breathing became uneven.
“I wasn't working for Eleanor because I wanted to.”
Claire listened.
“I owed her.”
“Why?”
“She saved my life.”
Claire's expression changed.
“From what?”
“From my father.”
The line went silent.
Claire's heart began beating faster.
“Who is your father?”
Jessica whispered a name.
Claire nearly dropped the phone.
“That's impossible.”
“I know.”
“Say it again.”
“Thomas Bennett.”
Austin stared at Claire.
“What?”
Claire couldn't speak.
Jessica continued.
“I'm Thomas's daughter too.”
The call ended.
Claire stood motionless.
Austin stared at her.
“Did she just say—”
“Yes.”
“She is your sister?”
“I don't know.”
Eleanor finally spoke.
“She is.”
Claire turned toward her.
“You knew?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Thomas told me.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“Of course he did.”
She walked toward Eleanor.
“You knew Jessica was his daughter.”
“Yes.”
“And you brought her into my home.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed her close.”
Claire stared.
“You didn't just use Jessica.”
“You used my sister.”
Eleanor looked away.
“I did what I had to do.”
Claire's voice shook.
“You destroyed my family.”
Eleanor answered softly:
“I was trying to save it.”
Austin stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Claire looked at him.
“No.”
“I need to understand this too.”
“You've had four years.”
“And I've learned nothing.”
Claire stared at him.
For once, Austin's expression held no arrogance.
Only confusion.
He looked toward Eleanor.
“Is Jessica really Thomas's daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you let me believe she was carrying my child?”
Eleanor hesitated.
“Because the child wasn't important.”
Austin's face went pale.
“What?”
“The pregnancy was.”
He stared.
“The announcement forced Claire to leave.”
“The fake heir gave you an excuse to replace her.”
Austin shook his head.
“But why?”
Eleanor looked at Claire.
“Because Claire's control was becoming impossible to contain.”
A security alarm sounded.
The banker looked at the monitor.
“We have a problem.”
Claire turned.
“What?”
“The account has been accessed.”
“By whom?”
The banker stared at the screen.
“Jessica.”
Claire froze.
“She's accessing my account?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She has an authorization token.”
Claire's eyes narrowed.
“Eleanor.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“No.”
“Then who gave it to her?”
The banker opened the access log.
One name appeared.
Thomas Bennett.
Claire stared.
Her father had authorized Jessica.
Her sister.
To access Claire's account.
The same account that was supposed to belong solely to Claire.
Claire whispered:
“He wanted her to have it.”
Austin looked at her.
“Maybe there's a reason.”
Claire turned.
“Don't defend him.”
“I'm not.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Trying to understand.”
Claire shook her head.
“So am I.”
She walked toward the banker.
“Can you block her?”
“Yes.”
“Do it.”
The banker began typing.
Then stopped.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because the authorization is higher than yours.”
Claire froze.
“How?”
“The account was created under a different ownership structure.”
“Whose?”
The banker looked at her.
“Thomas Bennett's.”
Claire's face went cold.
“Then it isn't really my account.”
“No.”
“What am I?”
The banker hesitated.
“Beneficiary.”
Claire stared.
“Not owner.”
“No.”
Austin looked at Eleanor.
“So Thomas still controls it.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“No.”
“Then who does?”
The banker looked at the screen.
A new name appeared.
Jessica Bennett.
Claire's blood ran cold.
“What?”
The banker whispered:
“The account has just been transferred.”
Claire couldn't move.
“Transfer it back.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because the transfer has already been authenticated.”
“By whom?”
The banker pointed to the screen.
CLAIRE BENNETT.
Claire stared.
“My signature?”
“Yes.”
“But I never signed that.”
The banker looked confused.
“Then someone has your signature.”
Claire remembered.
The contracts.
The documents.
The fake settlement.
The papers Austin had placed before her.
She hadn't signed them.
But someone had copied her signature.
Claire looked at Eleanor.
“You knew.”
Eleanor said nothing.
Claire's voice became dangerously quiet.
“You knew this was going to happen.”
“I knew there was a possibility.”
“You let me sign documents.”
“I didn't.”
“You arranged them.”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Eleanor looked toward Austin.
Austin shook his head.
“Not me.”
Claire stared at both of them.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message from Jessica.
I'm sorry.
Another appeared.
I didn't know what they would do to you.
Then:
I never wanted your account.
Claire's eyes narrowed.
She typed:
Then why did you take it?
The reply came immediately.
Because they told me it wasn't your account.
Claire stared.
Who were "they"?
She typed again.
Who?
Three dots.
Then:
My real mother.
Claire froze.
Another message arrived.
Thomas isn't my father.
Claire's heart stopped.
Jessica continued:
That was the lie I was told.
Claire stared at the screen.
Then who is your father?
The reply took almost a minute.
Alexander Voss.
Claire dropped the phone.
Austin picked it up.
He read the message.
His face went white.
“No.”
Claire looked at him.
“What?”
“Alexander Voss…”
“What?”
“He isn't your father.”
Claire stared.
“You said—”
“I was wrong.”
Austin looked at Eleanor.
“You told me Alexander was Claire's father.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“I never said that.”
“You did.”
“No.”
Austin looked at Claire.
“Then who is he?”
Claire couldn't answer.
The room had become a maze of lies.
Thomas wasn't her father.
Alexander wasn't her father.
Jessica wasn't Thomas's daughter.
The account wasn't really hers.
And someone had forged her signature.
Then the banker's computer suddenly beeped.
A new message appeared.
TRANSFER COMPLETE.
The account balance dropped to zero.
Claire stared.
Every dollar was gone.
Not transferred to Jessica.
Not transferred to Thomas.
The money had disappeared into an unknown entity.
The beneficiary field displayed:
VOSS FOUNDATION — PRIVATE TRUST.
Claire's eyes widened.
“Voss Foundation.”
Eleanor looked terrified.
“What?”
Claire turned toward her.
“You know it.”
Eleanor whispered:
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
Eleanor's voice trembled.
“The organization your mother created.”
Claire stared.
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“Why would she take my money?”
“She didn't.”
“Then who controls it?”
Eleanor looked toward the dark vault entrance.
“I don't know.”
A voice came from behind them.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
Jessica stood in the doorway.
She was alone.
Her face was wet with tears.
Claire stared at her.
“You came here.”
Jessica nodded.
“I had to.”
“How did you get past security?”
Jessica looked at Eleanor.
“She gave me access.”
Claire's eyes narrowed.
“You're lying.”
Jessica shook her head.
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“I lied about the pregnancy.”
“I lied about the shares.”
“I lied about the money.”
“I even lied about who my father was.”
Claire stared.
“But this…”
Jessica pointed toward the computer.
“This wasn't me.”
Claire asked:
“Then who emptied my account?”
Jessica's expression changed.
Fear replaced everything else.
She whispered:
“Your mother.”
Claire's heart stopped.
“My mother is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Jessica looked at her.
“She has been watching you for years.”
“Where is she?”
Jessica took a breath.
“She isn't hiding anymore.”
Then she placed an envelope on the table.
Claire opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A woman stood outside a hospital.
Claire recognized her immediately.
Isabelle Voss.
Alive.
But standing beside her was a little boy.
Claire stared.
The boy looked about six years old.
On the back of the photograph were three words:
Your mother's son.
Claire looked up.
“Who is he?”
Jessica's face turned pale.
“Your brother.”
Austin stepped forward.
“You have a brother?”
Jessica nodded.
Claire looked at the photograph again.
The little boy had the same eyes as her.
The same eyes as the woman she had just learned was her mother.
And beneath the photograph was one final note.
Come alone if you want to meet him.
Claire's hands trembled.
“Where?”
Jessica pointed to the address.
Claire recognized it.
The Voss estate.
The same place she had been warned never to go.
Austin grabbed her arm.
“Don't.”
Claire pulled away.
“I have to.”
“It's a trap.”
“Probably.”
“You can't go alone.”
Claire looked at him.
“That's exactly why I have to.”
She turned toward the door.
Behind her, Eleanor whispered:
“Claire.”
Claire stopped.
“What?”
Eleanor's voice broke.
“If you go there tonight, you will finally learn why your mother abandoned you.”
Claire turned.
“And?”
Eleanor looked at her with tears in her eyes.
“You may hate her more than you ever hated me.”
Claire walked away.
She didn't know that the woman waiting at the Voss estate had been watching her for twenty-four years.
She didn't know that the little boy in the photograph was not merely her brother.
And she certainly didn't know that the missing money was never meant to belong to Claire.
May you like
It was payment.
For a secret that had been kept since the night she was born.
