Vanessa ripped Sophie’s dead mother’s medal off her neck and threw it into the pool.

Eight o’clock came.

The sun had dipped below the horizon long ago, leaving the house wrapped in twilight. I stood in the living room, perfectly still, listening.

At exactly eight, a car pulled up outside. Engine cut. Door opened and closed.

Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Up the walkway. Across the porch.

A sharp, heavy knock.

I walked to the door and pulled it open.

Julian stood there. Tall. Dark. His face bore the same sharp features Claire had possessed, but twisted by something harder. Colder. He wore a dark coat, his hands buried deep in its pockets, his eyes scanning me from head to toe before drifting past me into the hallway.

“Alone?” he asked.

“Just me.”

He stepped inside. I closed the door and locked it. He turned slowly, looking around the room, his gaze lingering on the empty space where Sophie’s photograph had once stood.

“Where is the girl?”

“Safe,” I said. “Somewhere you will not find her.”

Julian’s expression did not change. He simply tilted his head slightly, as if he had expected nothing less.

“Good. Fewer distractions. Now—give me what you brought.”

He held out one hand. His palm was steady. He did not tremble. He had done this before.

I remained standing where I was.

“Claire told me everything,” I said. “About the ledger. About the crimes. About what you did.”

Julian’s fingers curled slowly into a fist.

“Claire was sentimental. She believed in justice. She believed the truth would set her free. But she was naive. Our father built an empire. And he built it on things the law would never understand. That ledger is not proof of guilt. It is proof of survival. And it belongs to me.”

“It holds names of people who are still hurting others,” I said. “It holds proof of murders. Of bribes. Of disappearances. And you want to burn it all.”

Julian took a step closer.

“I want to erase the past. And you… you stand in my way. Give me the card. Give me the box. And I walk out of here. Refuse… and I stay. And we find out how far you are willing to go to protect a dead woman’s wishes.”

We stood facing each other in the quiet room. Outside, the streetlamp cast a pale yellow glow through the curtains. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked.

I reached into my pocket. Pulled out a memory card. Held it up.

Julian’s eyes fixed on it.

“This is a copy,” I said. “Claire’s video. The legal documents. The coordinates. That is all.”

“And the other?” he demanded. “The one from the river.”

“Buried where she left it. Safe. And only I know exactly where.”

Julian’s face darkened.

“Then take me.”

“No.”

He stepped forward quickly, closing the space between us. His hand shot out and gripped my collar, his fingers digging into my throat.

“Take me,” he repeated quietly, “or I find the girl myself. Do not think I do not know people. Do not think I do not have eyes everywhere. I will find her. And I will make her tell me what you will not.”

Rage burned through me. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it. He released me with a sharp breath, stepping back, his eyes narrowing.

“You threaten a child?” I said.

“I do what is necessary.”

“Then you are exactly what Claire said you were. Dangerous. Ruthless. And afraid.”

Julian smoothed his coat, his expression hardening into something terrifyingly calm.

“I am not afraid. I am careful. Claire hid the ledger because she thought it would protect Sophie. But she was wrong. The ledger is what puts Sophie in danger. Until I have it… no one is safe. Least of all her.”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Held it out.

I took it. Unfolded it.

A photograph. Sophie. Outside Sarah’s house. Taken earlier that day.

My blood ran cold.

“You said she was safe,” Julian said softly. “But nowhere is truly safe. Not until I have what I want. Bring me the ledger. Tomorrow morning. At dawn. At the river. Come alone. Bring the card. Bring the box. And do not keep me waiting.”

He turned toward the door. Paused with his hand on the lock.

“One more thing. Leave the police out of this. If I see a single officer… if I suspect you have told anyone… the girl becomes part of the deal. Do not test me, Adrian. I am not asking. I am telling.”

Then he was gone.

I stood holding the photograph. Sophie’s face, bright and unaware, captured through a stranger’s lens. Julian had found her. He had been watching. He had known exactly where to look.

Sarah.

I grabbed my phone and dialed her number. It rang once. Twice. Three times.