Chapter 6 - THE ASHFORD ESTATEWe were driven back to Connecticut in silence.
Lily sat opposite us in the luxury SUV, staring out the window into the dark. She looked so much like me it was unnerving.
But there was a hardness in her jaw that I recognized. It was the same hardness my father had. The hardness of someone who viewed people as chess pieces.
My mother held my hand the entire ride. She never let go.
When we finally pulled through the massive iron gates of the Ashford Estate in Greenwich, the sun was just beginning to rise.
We were escorted into the grand library.
Charles Ashford sat behind a massive mahogany desk. He looked older than the last time I saw him. Frail, almost.
Standing next to him was Victoria. She was still wearing her wedding dress, though the hem was ruined with dirt.
When Victoria saw me, she flinched.
“Ethan,” she whispered.
“Don't,” I said.
Charles coughed heavily into a handkerchief.
“Welcome home, Sarah,” Charles said, his voice raspy.
My mother stood tall. “I am not your prisoner, Charles. And neither are my children.”
Charles chuckled. “You are whatever I say you are. Your father’s trust fully vests into Ethan’s name next week. One hundred million dollars.”
He looked at me.
“Your father, Richard, is bankrupt, Ethan. Did he tell you that? His real estate empire has been underwater for five years. He promised me half of your grandfather’s trust to keep him afloat. The marriage to Victoria was the legal loophole to merge the assets.”
I stared at him. “You arranged a fake marriage just to steal my grandfather's money.”
“I arranged a legacy,” Charles corrected.
“And Lily?” I asked, looking at my sister. “Where does she fit into your legacy?”
Lily stepped forward. She didn't look at Charles. She looked at me.
“I don't,” Lily said quietly.
Charles frowned. “Lily, what are you talking about?”
Lily reached into her trench coat pocket. She pulled out a thick stack of documents and tossed them onto Charles’s desk.
“I transferred the Ashford holding companies this morning,” Lily said. Her voice was no longer cold. It was shaking with barely suppressed rage.
Charles went pale. “You did what?”
“You raised me to be ruthless, Father,” Lily said bitterly. “You taught me how to find weaknesses. How to exploit them. You just never thought I would do it to you.”
Victoria gasped, covering her mouth.
Lily looked at our mother. Tears finally pooled in her hardened eyes.
“I didn't lead his men to you, Mom,” Lily whispered. “I led them away from the airport. I needed you at the cottage so Ethan could find you. I needed both of you in this room today.”
Charles lunged forward, trying to grab the papers.
But before his hand could touch them, the heavy library doors burst open.
May you like
My father, Richard Whitaker, stood in the doorway. He looked frantic. Desperate.
And he was holding a gun.
