Chapter 4 - The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be DeadMark hadn't heard his brother's name spoken inside the house for almost twenty years.
Ethan Vance had disappeared when Mark was sixteen.
At least, that was what everyone had told him.
Their father had claimed Ethan ran away.
Their mother had refused to discuss it.
Eventually, Mark stopped asking questions.
But now Arthur was telling him that Clara had secretly been meeting Ethan.
“That can't be true,” Mark said.
Arthur opened the folder again.
“Clara documented six meetings with him.”
Mark's hands began to shake.
“Where?”
“Different locations.”
Arthur placed photographs on the table.
A coffee shop.
A parking garage.
A hotel lobby.
A private airfield.
And finally—
A photograph of Ethan standing outside Clara's office.
Mark stared at the image.
His brother looked older.
But unmistakably alive.
Sarah whispered:
“Why would Clara hide this from you?”
Mark didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Then Lily suddenly spoke.
“Because Uncle Ethan said Daddy wasn't supposed to know.”
Mark turned toward her.
“What?”
Lily nodded.
“He told Mommy.”
Arthur looked alarmed.
“Lily, did you actually meet Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
She thought for a moment.
“Before Mommy went to heaven.”
Mark felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Lily lowered her eyes.
“Mommy told me not to.”
Mark closed his eyes.
Clara had known.
She had known Ethan was alive.
And she had deliberately kept him hidden.
But why?
Arthur suddenly pulled another document from the folder.
“This may explain it.”
Mark looked down.
It was a bank statement.
Millions of dollars had been transferred from Vance Logistics into an offshore account.
The account holder was listed as:
E. Vance Holdings.
Mark stared at it.
“Ethan stole from the company?”
Arthur shook his head.
“No.”
“Then what?”
Arthur looked grim.
“The money was being paid to Ethan.”
“By whom?”
Arthur turned the page.
The authorization signature belonged to Clara.
Mark's face went blank.
His wife had secretly paid his supposedly dead brother millions of dollars.
Then Sarah noticed something.
“Mr. Vance…”
She pointed to the bottom of the document.
There was a handwritten note.
Arthur read it aloud.
Payment continues until the person who killed me is exposed.
Mark looked up.
“So Ethan wasn't stealing.”
Arthur shook his head.
“He was investigating.”
Suddenly, every light in the foyer went out.
Lily screamed.
Sarah grabbed her.
Mark turned toward the darkness.
A sound came from somewhere upstairs.
Three slow knocks.
Then silence.
May you like
Arthur whispered:
“Someone's inside the house.”
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