Chapter 2: The Man Who Had Been Waiting
The phone rang twice before he picked up.
"I've been waiting for your call," the man said quietly.
His name was Arthur Hale.
My father had introduced us three years ago, the week before my wedding.
He was a forensic accountant — the kind companies hire when they suspect someone has been hiding money for a very long time.
"Are you ready?" Arthur asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Start everything."
I set the phone down and looked at Hazel's empty crib.
The ivory urn sat at the center of it, small and still.
That's when I heard Julian's footsteps on the stairs.
He pushed open the door, glanced at the crib, and looked away immediately.
"I need you to sign some paperwork tomorrow," he said.
"The estate lawyers want your signature on the dependent closure form.
Since Hazel is gone, your allowance gets adjusted."
I stared at him.
"You're telling me this tonight."
He shrugged.
"Business doesn't stop, Genevieve."
I said nothing.
I just watched him turn and walk back down the hallway.
What Julian didn't know was that Arthur had already spent two years quietly pulling apart the Vance family's financial records.
Every rejected request.
Every blocked transfer.
May you like
Every decision Ximena had ever made.
And buried inside those records was something Julian had never expected anyone to find.
