Vanessa forced Mia to hold the hot candle tray, then slapped her for dropping it.

Daddy stared at the man in horror. “You… you killed him. You took his face. His name.”

“His life,” Voss corrected smoothly. “And now… his granddaughter’s fortune.” He walked closer to Daddy, looking down at him with cold, dead eyes. “Elias was a good man, David. Too good. Too soft. He built all of this but never had the stomach to protect it. I do.”

“Vanessa knew,” I said suddenly. “She knew it was you.”

Voss turned to me, surprised. “Smart girl. Yes. Vanessa was Elias’s secretary for twenty years. She knew every scar, every habit, every story. She knew within minutes of meeting me that Elias was gone. But she said nothing. Because I promised her wealth. Freedom. Everything Elias denied her.”

“And the cameras,” Daddy said. “All those months… watching us.”

“Tracking Mia’s growth. Waiting for the clock to tick over to her sixth birthday. Once the trust activated… I needed access. A signature. A legal guardian willing to sign on her behalf.” Voss looked at Mommy. “That would be you, Claire. Or it would be David. Or… it would be me. If something unfortunate happened to both of you.”

Mommy went pale. “You intend to kill us.”

“I intend to take control of what is mine by right of effort.” Voss gestured to the men standing silently by the wall. “Tie them up securely. Post two men outside. No one comes near this cabin. No one leaves.”

“And Mia?” Daddy demanded, straining against his bonds.

Voss looked at me, and his expression softened into something terrifying—greedy, possessive.

“Mia stays with me. She is the key, remember? Without her… nothing works. I need her alive, well, and cooperative until the accounts are consolidated and the assets transferred. After that…” He shrugged. “We shall see.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Daddy said fiercely. “People know. Detective Nolan knows. Vanessa is in custody.”

“Vanessa is in a safe house paid for by my funds. Nolan is currently occupied with a false lead miles from here. And you… you and your family will have the tragic good fortune to perish in a cabin fire before anyone finds you.” Voss walked to the door. “Bind them well. And bring Mia to the main room. I have preparations to make.”

Voss stepped out into the darkness. The two men moved toward us. They bound Mommy and Daddy more tightly—rope cutting into skin, gags tied in place. Then one of them lifted me easily, ignoring my kicks and screams.

I fought with everything I had. But the man was too strong. He carried me into a smaller room at the back of the cabin—sparse, cold, with a single narrow window high above the floor. He tied my wrists to the bedpost, gagged me despite my struggles, and locked the door behind him.

Silence rushed in.

I lay there, heart pounding, staring at the ceiling. Daddy and Mommy were in the other room, tied up, hurt, terrified. And this man—this monster wearing my grandfather’s face—planned to kill them and take everything.

I strained against the ropes. They burned. I could not move. I could not speak. Tears leaked from my eyes, hot and angry and helpless.

Hours passed. Or maybe only minutes. The floorboards creaked outside my door. Voices murmured too quietly to understand. Once, Voss spoke clearly in the hallway.

“Everything is in place by morning. Once the papers are signed… the fire takes them before dawn.”

Footsteps receded. Silence returned.

I lay perfectly still, thinking. Voss needed me alive. He needed my signature, or my presence, or something. That meant he wouldn’t hurt me… not yet. But he would hurt Mommy and Daddy. Very soon.

I twisted my wrists, working the rope against the rough wood of the bedpost. It hurt. It scraped skin raw. But I kept sawing, back and forth, back and forth, until slowly—so slowly—the rope began to fray.

Dawn painted the high window pale gray before the rope finally snapped. My hands fell free, stinging and bleeding. I pulled the gag from my mouth, gasping.

I stood on wobbly legs and pressed my ear to the door. Silence.

Carefully, I turned the handle. It was unlocked.

I peeked out. The hallway was empty. Light seeped beneath the doors at either end.

I crept toward the front room where I had left Mommy and Daddy. I pressed my eye to the crack in the door.

They were there. Still tied. Gagged. But someone else was there too.

Vanessa.

She stood near the fireplace, facing Voss. Her hands were free. She looked pale, exhausted, but her voice was steady.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt them.”

Voss stood at the table, signing papers. “And you believed me? Foolish.”

“You promised, Julian. You promised they would be safe.”

“Circumstances change.” Voss set down his pen. “Once the assets are moved, there is no room for loose ends. Not even a grieving widow and her father.”

“Mia is not loose ends,” Vanessa said sharply.

“Mia is the key. As long as she is alive and with me… the courts cannot touch me. She is my protection. My shield. And eventually… she will be worth more than all of this.”

Vanessa took a step toward him. “I won’t let you hurt them.”

Voss looked up. He studied her for a long, cold moment. Then he reached into his coat.

“You signed up for wealth, Vanessa. Not for conscience. Conscience gets people killed.”

“I signed up to make Elias pay for passing me over,” Vanessa said, her voice breaking. “Not to become a monster.”

“Too late for that.” Voss pulled a small device from his pocket—a lighter. He flicked it open. Flame danced between them. “You are in this as deep as I am. You helped me. You watched. You reported. There is no going back.”

Vanessa looked at Mommy and Daddy. Then at Voss.

“Then let me take the girl,” she said. “If you won’t let them go… give Mia to me. I’ll take her far away. You’ll have no reason to hunt them. No reason to kill them.”

Voss laughed. A harsh, barking sound. “You would trade a six-hundred-million-dollar empire for a child you barely know? Elias’s granddaughter?”

“I would trade everything to undo what I have done.” Vanessa stepped closer. “Let her go, Julian. Or I go to the authorities. I tell them everything. I tell them who you really are.”

Voss went very still. He set the lighter down slowly.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Voss studied her. Then he sighed. “I suppose I expected this. Elias always had that effect on people—making them feel guilty for doing what needed to be done.” He reached into his coat. “But you forget, Vanessa. I know where your family lives. I know where your niece goes to school. I know everything about you.”

Vanessa paled. “You wouldn’t.”

“I have already prepared the way. If I do not return by morning… messages are sent. Evidence appears. Your family burns with mine.” Voss stepped toward her, voice dropping to a whisper. “Sit down. Be quiet. And watch what happens to people who try to take what is mine.”

Vanessa stood trembling. She looked at Mommy and Daddy—their eyes wide, pleading. Then she looked at Voss.

And slowly, deliberately, she reached into her own pocket.

I held my breath.

Vanessa pulled out a small, silver object.

A camera.

The same model from my birthday party.

She held it up.

“Everything you just said… is recorded.” Vanessa’s voice shook but held firm. “Everything. The face. The confession. The threat. I sent it to a secure server ten seconds ago. If I don’t check in… it releases to every news outlet and police station in the state.”

Voss froze. Then his face twisted into a mask of pure rage.