Chapter 17 - THE TWIN IN THE SHADOWS
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Arthur confirmed the existence of Vivian Moretti that evening.
She had been born twelve minutes before Evelyn. As a young woman, she had been involved in a bitter dispute over the family business and had left Chicago after a scandal involving missing funds.
The family claimed she had died overseas.
No death certificate could be found.
Arthur sat with Vincent and me in the library.
"I thought Vivian was gone," he said. "I never imagined she would return under another name."
"Why was she erased from the family?" I asked.
Arthur looked ashamed.
"She accused Richard of hiding money from the estate. Richard accused her of manipulating the accounts. The argument became public, and our family decided it would be easier to claim she had left permanently."
Vincent's voice was cold.
"You let everyone believe she was dead."
"We thought the dispute had ended."
"Instead, she used your silence to build an entire criminal operation."
Arthur closed his eyes.
"Yes."
The attorney discovered that Vivian had established several companies under false identities. One of them had received the trust's missing funds.
Another had paid for the forged adoption records connected to Sophia's mother.
A third had financed the private investigator Vincent hired.
Vivian had manipulated every side of the conflict, ensuring that the family fought among itself while she controlled the money.
But there was still one unanswered question.
Why had she targeted me?
The answer came from a letter Eleanor had left in a sealed compartment beneath the safe.
Claire is the only person Vincent has married who does not depend on the family fortune. That is why she must become trustee.
Vivian had understood the danger immediately.
If I controlled the trust, I could expose the missing funds without needing permission from Arthur or Vincent.
The attorney found another letter.
This one was addressed to Evelyn.
Your sister will return when she believes the family has forgotten her. Do not let guilt become an invitation.
Evelyn wept as she read it.
"I knew Vivian was angry," she whispered. "I never thought she would do this."
Vincent looked at his mother.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?"
"Because I was ashamed. I spent my life pretending she had never existed."
I understood then how the family's culture of secrecy had survived for so long.
Every generation had hidden its failures, convinced that silence would preserve its reputation.
Instead, the secrets had grown into weapons.
The next morning, Vivian contacted us.
She sent a message to Arthur's private phone.
You have taken everything from me once. I will not let Claire take the rest.
A second message followed.
Meet me at Rosewood tomorrow night. Bring the bracelet and the original trust agreement. Come alone.
Arthur immediately ordered security.
Vincent insisted on accompanying me.
I looked at him.
"You don't get to make decisions for me anymore."
"I know."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because I want to protect you, not control you."
For the first time, I believed he understood the difference.
May you like
I agreed to meet Vivian.
But I would not go alone.
