Chapter 6 - The Platinum Band
The heavy diamond ring glinted under the dim study lamps, catching the light like a silent confession of murder. Evelyn hadn’t vanished at sea; she had been erased by the very man standing less than ten feet away from me.
Julian noticed where my eyes were fixed. A slow, chilling smile spread across his lips as he reached up with his left hand, turning the ring so the jagged diamond cut faced outward.
“Evelyn always had atrocious taste in jewelry,” Julian remarked casually, his voice terrifyingly calm. “She insisted on custom settings. But she lacked foresight. When a person decides to take an unannounced, permanent swim in the middle of the Atlantic, they rarely remember to pack their valuables.”
“You murdered your own sister,” I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth as I scrambled backward, my hip slamming hard against the corner of the mahogany desk.
“I liberated assets that were being horribly mismanaged,” Julian corrected smoothly, closing the distance between us with predatory grace. “Evelyn wanted to donate the family trust to environmental charities. Absolute madness. Just as Clara was becoming a liability by asking too many questions about corporate routing numbers.”
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He lunged forward with blinding speed, his hand shooting out to grab my wrist. I twisted violently away, sweeping a heavy brass paperweight off the desk and hurling it straight at his face.
Julian ducked instinctively, the heavy metal crashing into the glass bookcase behind him. It was all the distraction I needed. I bolted past him toward the open study door, sprinting down the long, dimly lit corridor toward the master nursery.
