Chapter 5 5

The Phillips Estate in Long Island wasn't a house; it was a fortress disguised as a French chateau.

The helicopter touched down on the south lawn. The rotors kicked up a storm of grass clippings. Gerhardt helped her out, his grip firm on her elbow.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice low enough that the awaiting staff couldn't hear. "Inside that house are sharks. My father, Christopher. My stepmother, Alida. My half-brother, Ashton. They will try to eat you alive."

Isa smoothed her skirt. "I've been swimming with sharks since I was born, Gerhardt. I'm not afraid of teeth."

"Good. Because they smell blood."

They entered the dining hall. It was a cavernous room with a table long enough to land a plane on.

Christopher Phillips sat at the head. He didn't stand. He looked like an older, crueler version of Gerhardt.

"So," Christopher said, cutting into his steak. "This is the internet sensation."

"Isa," Gerhardt corrected, pulling out a chair for her.

Alida, a woman whose face was pulled so tight she looked permanently surprised, smiled thinly. "We were just watching your video, dear. Very... dramatic. Was the crying real, or was that for the followers?"

Isa unfolded her napkin. "It was market research, Alida. Engagement is up forty percent. Unlike the Phillips stock this quarter."

Ashton, the younger brother, choked on his wine. He looked at Isa with new interest. "She bites."

"Only when provoked," Isa said sweetly.

The first course was served. Silence hung heavy over the table, broken only by the clinking of silver.

"I hear your father cut you off," Christopher said. "A pity. The Faulkner trust was a substantial asset."

"Assets can be rebuilt," Isa said. "Reputations are harder to fix. Isn't that right, Christopher? I heard the SEC is looking into your offshore accounts again."

Christopher's knife screeched against the china. "Watch your tongue, girl."

"She's right," Gerhardt said calmly. He reached over and took Isa's plate. He began cutting her steak into perfect, bite-sized pieces.

The table went dead silent. Even the servants stopped moving.

"Gerhardt," Alida whispered. "What are you doing?"

"My wife had a long day," Gerhardt said, not looking up from his task. "She needs her energy."

He slid the plate back to her.

Isa looked at him. His face was impassive, but his ears were slightly red. He was using her to piss them off. And it was working beautifully.

After dinner, Helena summoned them to the library.

"As the newest Phillips, you must be made aware of our holdings," she announced. Jenson, the butler, placed a sleek, encrypted tablet on the table. "This is a direct link to the family vault inventory. For insurance and estate purposes. Your access is read-only, of course."

Isa took the tablet, her fingers cool and steady. Later that night, in the sterile silence of their guest suite, she went to work. His family had underestimated her. 'Read-only' was a suggestion, not a barrier. It took her less than ten minutes to bypass their firewalls and access the archived, off-ledger acquisitions. The ones they didn't want anyone to see.

She scrolled past smuggled artifacts and blood diamonds. Her heart was a cold, steady drum.

And then she saw it. Item 734.

An emerald necklace with a unique filigree setting.

Her mother's necklace. The one she was wearing the night she died. The one the police said was lost in the fire.

The acquisition date was one day after the fire. The seller was listed as 'Anonymous.'

Her blood ran cold. Her hand trembled, hovering over the screen. They didn't just have it; they had logged it. The sheer arrogance was breathtaking.

She slammed the laptop shut. She couldn't let them know she'd seen it. Not yet.

She found Gerhardt on the balcony, staring out into the darkness.

"I've been thinking about your grandmother's offer," she said, her voice carefully modulated to sound greedy and ambitious. She had to create a reason for her future actions.

He turned, one eyebrow raised.

"The family vault," she said. "Access to it. Full access. As the future mother of the Phillips heir, I believe it's my right."

Gerhardt looked at her with a flicker of disgust. "You want it all?"

"Every last carat," she said, meeting his gaze without flinching.

He didn't know she was lying. He didn't know she would trade every diamond in that vault for that one piece of green glass and the truth it held.