Chapter 13 - Lily’s Fateful Memory
Mark returned home with the documents locked tightly inside his leather briefcase.
Every piece of the puzzle was falling into place, but one crucial question still remained unanswered.
Arthur Vance was supposed to be dead, yet the bank records proved recent fund withdrawals from a branch in the city.
Who was coordinating the withdrawals if Julian was behind bars and Victoria was serving a prison sentence?
Mark walked into the sunlit kitchen, where Lily sat eating warm pancakes that the new temporary chef had made.
Lily looked up at her father, noticing the deep exhaustion etched into his features.
"Daddy, are the bad men gone now?" Lily asked softly, her innocent eyes searching his face.
Mark crouched down beside her chair, wrapping his warm arms around her tiny frame.
"The police caught the man from last night, baby," Mark reassured her gently.
"You are completely safe, I promise you."
Lily put down her fork and reached into her small pocket, pulling out a colorful drawing she had made.
It was a picture of a large house, a tall man, a small girl, and an older man with gray hair sitting under a tree.
"Who is this under the tree, Lily?" Mark asked, pointing gently to the unfamiliar figure.
"That's the friendly grandfather who used to visit Mommy when you were at the office," Lily chirped innocently.
Mark felt his heart stop mid-beat.
"What friendly grandfather, sweetheart?" Mark asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible.
"The one with the shiny watch and the silver thermos," Lily said, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"He always brought Mommy special tea when she stayed in bed."
"He told me never to tell you because it was a grown-up secret."
"Did he have a name, Lily?"
"Mommy called him Uncle Arthur," Lily whispered softly.
Arthur Vance had not been operating from across the ocean or hiding in an offshore haven.
He had been entering Mark's house years ago, disguising himself as a family friend while Mark worked late hours.
He was the real architect of Eleanor’s murder.
He had manipulated his own children, Victoria and Julian, turning them into ruthless weapons to claim the estate.
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And according to bank records, the latest withdrawal from the fund had occurred just two days ago at noon.
Arthur Vance was alive, walking the streets of this very city, and still hunting for what remained.
