Chapter 9
The police entered Carter Development headquarters four minutes later.
Grant was gone.
Again.
But Olivia Mercer was still there.
She had locked herself inside the security office.
My security director, Mark, had been knocked unconscious in the hallway.
He survived.
The laptop survived too.
Grant had tried to take it.
Olivia refused to give it to him.
He grabbed her.
Mark intervened.
Grant hit him and ran when the building alarm triggered.
By midnight, Olivia was sitting with investigators.
And she finally told them everything.
She had created the shell company at Vanessa’s request.
At first, she thought it was tax planning.
Then Grant began sending money through it.
“Did you know it was stolen?” Detective Bennett asked her.
Olivia cried.
“Not at first.”
Eventually she suspected.
But by then, Grant had evidence that made her look involved.
So she stayed quiet.
Another person trapped by fear.
Another person Grant controlled.
The laptop held financial records.
Emails.
Draft contracts.
Private recordings.
And the fake videos.
But the most important file was not fake.
It was an audio recording.
Grant speaking to Vanessa.
Six weeks earlier.
I listened with Detective Bennett and my attorney.
Grant’s voice came first.
“If Ethan finds out, we lose everything.”
Vanessa said, “Then stop stealing.”
“You spent the money too.”
“I didn’t know where it came from.”
“You knew enough.”
A pause.
Then Vanessa said, “I’m done.”
Grant laughed.
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m taking Lily and leaving.”
My body tightened.
She had planned to leave?
Grant answered, “Lily doesn’t help you.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“She’s Ethan’s leverage.”
Vanessa’s voice changed.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
“You’re the one who told me you hate being a mother.”
Silence.
Then she whispered, “I was angry.”
“You said she ruined your life.”
“I say things when I’m angry.”
“And the cameras hear all of it.”
Vanessa inhaled sharply.
“You’re disgusting.”
“No, I’m prepared.”
Then came the sentence that made every person in the room go still.
“If Ethan dies and Lily stays alive, the shares sit in trust.”
Vanessa said nothing.
Grant continued.
“If Ethan dies and Lily doesn’t…”
“Stop.”
“The succession changes.”
“Stop talking.”
“You wanted freedom.”
“Not this.”
“You wanted money.”
“Not this!”
A crash sounded on the recording.
Then Vanessa was crying.
“I will tell Ethan.”
Grant’s voice became cold.
“No, you won’t.”
“Watch me.”
“If you tell him, I give police every video of you with Lily.”
Silence.
“You’d go to prison.”
Vanessa whispered, “You recorded me.”
“I recorded everything.”
“You set me up.”
“No. You did those things.”
He was right about that.
She had.
But he had used it.
He had watched my child being abused and saved the footage as blackmail.
My hands curled into fists.
Grant continued.
“And when Ethan sees what kind of mother you are, do you think he’ll protect you?”
Vanessa was crying harder.
“I hate you.”
“You loved me when I bought Miami.”
“I never loved you.”
He laughed.
“Neither did I.”
The recording ended.
I stared at the laptop.
My brother had turned people into tools.
Vanessa.
Olivia.
Maria.
My mother.
Me.
Even Lily.
Everyone existed only according to what they could give him or threaten.
Detective Bennett closed the laptop.
“We have enough now for multiple warrants.”
“Find him.”
“We will.”
But Grant had been one step ahead all night.
I hated the waiting.
At 2:30 a.m., I finally slept beside Lily’s crib.
At 4:12, the alarm woke me.
Not my phone.
The house alarm.
I was on my feet immediately.
Security lights flashed in the hallway.
Maria ran from the guest room.
“What happened?”
I grabbed Lily from the crib.
My mother appeared.
“Ethan?”
The security intercom activated.
“Mr. Carter, stay upstairs.”
It was one of the guards.
“Is someone inside?”
“We have an unauthorized entry at the rear service door.”
My blood ran cold.
“Call police.”
“Already done.”
I handed Lily to Maria.
“Take her into the safe room.”
My mother grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To make sure—”
“No.”
Her grip tightened.
“You are not leaving your daughter to chase Grant.”
That stopped me.
She was right.
I hated it.
But she was right.
We entered the safe room behind the nursery closet.
My father had installed it years ago after a kidnapping threat against our family.
I once thought it was ridiculous.
Now I locked the steel door.
Maria held Lily.
My mother stood beside us.
We watched the security feed.
One camera showed the kitchen.
Empty.
Another showed the rear hall.
Nothing.
Then movement.
A man in dark clothes.
Cap low.
Face partly covered.
He moved quickly.
He knew the house.
My mother whispered, “Grant.”
The man stopped beneath the camera.
Looked directly up.
Then removed the cap.
My brother.
My mother made a sound like she had been punched.
Grant walked toward the stairs.
The intercom in the safe room buzzed.
I didn’t answer.
My phone rang.
Grant.
I answered.
“Leave.”
His breathing was heavy.
“You have something of mine.”
“No.”
“Olivia’s laptop.”
“Police have it.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not.”
Silence.
Then he said, “You always take everything.”
I stared at the monitor.
“You tried to kill me.”
“You took Dad.”
“What?”
“You took the company.”
“Dad chose.”
“Because you poisoned him against me.”
“You did that yourself.”
“You got the office. The board. The name.”
“We have the same name.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“You became Dad. I became the problem.”
I heard something I had never heard from Grant before.
Pain.
Real pain.
For one second, I remembered us at ten and twelve years old, racing bikes down our driveway.
Then I remembered Lily’s fractured wrist.
“You became the problem because every time someone protected you from consequences, you learned you deserved more.”
His breathing changed.
“Mom told you.”
“She finally told me the truth.”
“She always loved you more.”
My mother closed her eyes.
I said, “This is not about Mom.”
“It has always been about her. And Dad. And you.”
“No. This is about what you did.”
“I did what I had to do.”
“You tried to kill your brother.”
“You had everything!”
“And you had millions.”
“I wanted what was mine.”
“You wanted what was mine.”
Silence.
Then Grant said, “Bring me the laptop.”
“I don’t have it.”
“Then come downstairs.”
“No.”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You can talk through police.”
“I’m not going to prison.”
“That is no longer your decision.”
He laughed quietly.
“You think you won?”
I looked at Lily.
“This isn’t a game.”
“You always say that when you’re winning.”
Then he said, “Ask Maria what she put in your office bag.”
I turned.
Maria looked confused.
“What?”
Grant laughed.
“You still trust everyone.”
The call ended.
I stared at Maria.
She shook her head immediately.
“I did nothing.”
“I know.”
But then she froze.
“My God.”
“What?”
“Yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“Before we left your house, Vanessa told me to bring one of your bags.”
My stomach tightened.
“Which bag?”
“The black leather briefcase.”
I knew it.
It was still downstairs in my mother’s study.
Grant hadn’t come for a laptop.
He had come for my briefcase.
“Why?”
My attorney had warned me.
Grant might try to frame me.
I opened the safe-room camera feed for the study.
Grant was already there.
He opened my briefcase.
Reached inside.
Pulled out a small plastic packet.
White powder.
My mother gasped.
I stared at it.
Grant looked up at the camera.
Then smiled.
He held the packet directly beneath the lens.
And dropped it back inside.
My blood ran cold.
Evidence.
Planted evidence.
But he didn’t realize the camera was recording him doing it.
Then red and blue lights flashed through the windows.
Police.
Grant’s smile vanished.
He ran.
Officers entered from the front.
Security guards closed the back.
Grant sprinted through the kitchen.
Toward the rear terrace.
Detective Bennett appeared on one camera.
Weapon drawn but pointed low.
“Grant Carter! Stop!”
He kept running.
He reached the terrace doors.
Locked.
He turned.
Officers entered the room behind him.
Grant backed against the glass.
For the first time, he had nowhere left to go.
My phone rang.
Again.
Grant.
I answered.
His voice shook.
“Ethan.”
I said nothing.
“Tell them to back off.”
“No.”
“I’m your brother.”
“That didn’t stop you.”
“I made mistakes.”
“Mistakes?”
“I can fix this.”
“No.”
“We can make a deal.”
“No.”
His voice became desperate.
“I know things about Vanessa that can help you.”
“I don’t need help destroying her.”
“Then Mom.”
I looked at my mother.
“What about her?”
Grant laughed weakly.
“You still don’t know the biggest secret.”
My mother went white.
I saw it.
Grant saw nothing.
But I did.
“Mom?”
She shook her head.
“Don’t listen.”
May you like
Grant whispered into the phone.
“Ask her who really changed Dad’s will.”
