Chapter 9 - The Audit of Souls
Her mother let out a sharp, horrified shriek, dropping her wine glass onto the Persian rug. Her father stumbled backward, knocking over an antique lamp, while Marcus instantly froze, his gloved hand hovering over the open briefcase on the desk.
Marisol stepped over the threshold, her fitted dark green top dusted with snow, her brown eyes burning with a lethal, righteous fury.
"Step away from the desk, Marcus," Marisol commanded, her voice dropping into an ice-cold, uncompromising tone that shook the quiet room.
"Marisol!" her mother gasped, her face going chalk-white. "What... what are you doing here?!"
"Saving you from a life sentence, Helen," Marisol spat, refusing to call her 'mother' ever again. "Though I'm not sure you deserve it."
Marcus slowly raised his hands, a thin, arrogant smile spreading across his silver-bearded face as he looked at his niece. "Look at you... sharp, fearless, analytical. You really are my brother's biological daughter. It’s a pity you inherited his stubborn morality along with his mind."
"I inherited something better, Marcus," Marisol said, holding up her smartphone. "I inherited the ability to trace every single transaction you’ve made since 2016. Every offshore shell company in Grand Cayman, every forged land grant, and every payment you funneled through this house. It’s all recorded. Live."
Marcus’s smile slowly faded. His eyes flicked to the phone screen, seeing the active digital broadcast indicator flashing red.
"You think a phone stream saves you, girl?" Marcus growled, his voice dropping into a guttural threat as he took a step toward her. "This is my house. These are my people."
"Look out the window, Marcus," Marisol replied smoothly.
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High above the lake, blue and red emergency lights began flashing through the dark trees of the long driveway. The wail of police sirens echoed across the water, rapidly approaching the estate from three different access routes.
Priya hadn't just watched the stream—she had dispatched the state tactical fraud unit the second Marisol entered the property.
