Chapter 4 4

The iron gates of the Avila Manor swung open. Piper's Porsche convertible crunched over the gravel driveway.

Claire stared at the sprawling stone estate. In her past life, this house had been sold to pay off Derrick's gambling debts. Her parents had died in a 'car accident' that she now knew was a brake line cut.

Tears pricked her eyes. Not this time.

They parked. The butler, old Mr. Henderson, opened the door, his eyebrows shooting up. "Miss Claire? We weren't expecting you."

"I know, Henderson. Are my parents in?"

"In the drawing room, Miss."

Claire marched inside, Piper trailing behind like a bodyguard.

Her mother, Katherine, was arranging white hydrangeas in a crystal vase. Her father, Robert, the CEO of Avila Corp, was reading the Wall Street Journal.

Katherine dropped the flower shears. They clattered on the hardwood floor.

"Claire?" Katherine rushed forward. "Oh my god, look at you. You're shaking."

Robert stood up, tossing the paper aside. His face, usually stern, filled with worry. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"

Claire took a breath. She needed to be precise. She couldn't sound crazy. She had to plant a seed of doubt, not declare war. Not yet.

"Piper, guard the door," Claire ordered.

Piper nodded and stood with her back to the heavy oak doors.

Claire walked to the coffee table. She sat down, twisting her hands in her lap, forcing the image of a distraught bride-to-be.

"We might have to postpone the wedding," Claire said, her voice trembling.

The room went silent. The ticking of the grandfather clock sounded like gunshots.

"Claire," Robert said slowly. "The invitations are out. The Governor is coming. This is a merger as much as a marriage."

"I had a nightmare," Claire said, looking at her father with wide, pleading eyes. "It felt so real. I dreamed Derrick was... changing things. In the company. He was signing papers, Dad. Papers with our name on them, but the money was going somewhere else."

Katherine gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

Robert's face went dark. "A nightmare?"

"He keeps giving me these 'vitamins'," Claire continued, her voice steady now, letting the truth hide behind the fiction of a dream. "He says they're to help me cope with the stress. But they make my head foggy. I can't think straight. What if I'm already signing things I don't understand?"

She didn't show him a phone. She didn't have proof. She only had her memory and the terror in her eyes. She was appealing to him as a father, not a CEO.

Robert Avila was a shark in business, but he was also a father who loved his daughter. He saw the genuine fear she was projecting. He didn't need a forensic accountant to see the red flags in her story. The controlling behavior, the strange pills, the mention of finances-it was a pattern.

"That son of a bitch," Robert whispered. He looked at his daughter, truly looked at her, and saw the shadows under her eyes he'd dismissed as wedding jitters.

Claire knelt in front of him. She grabbed his hands. They were warm. Alive.

"Please, Dad. Just look into it. Quietly. Don't let him know. If I'm wrong, I'm just a silly, nervous girl. But if I'm right... he could ruin us."

Katherine fell to her knees beside her daughter, sobbing. "Listen to her. Robert, please, just check."

Robert looked at his wife and daughter. The anger in his eyes was terrifying. "I'll have our internal auditors run a quiet check on the pre-merger accounts. He won't see it coming."

"Thank you," Claire breathed. The first step was taken. The doubt was planted.

Suddenly, the doors opened. Piper was shoved aside.

Heber Avila, Claire's uncle, strode in. He was a short, balding man with greedy eyes.

"I saw the car!" Heber boomed. "What is going on? Why is the bride here? The stock price is up three points in anticipation of the merger. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet."

Claire spun around. Her face transformed instantly. The steel vanished. She looked like a frightened deer.

"Uncle Heber," she said, her voice trembling. "I... I just wanted to see Mom."

Robert caught on immediately. He stepped in front of Claire. "She's just nervous, Heber. Wedding jitters. We were discussing the dowry."

Heber's eyes flicked between them, suspicious. "Dowry? We agreed on the stock transfer."

"Just finalizing details," Robert lied smoothly.

Heber huffed. "Well, make it quick. Derrick called me. He's worried. We can't have a runaway bride."

"Don't worry, Uncle," Claire said, lowering her eyes. "I'll be at the party tonight. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Heber nodded, satisfied. "Good. Remember, the family reputation is at stake."

He turned and left.

When the door closed, Claire looked at her parents.

"He's in on it," she said. "Heber is helping Derrick."

Robert clenched his jaw. "Then he goes down too."