Chapter 13 - The Deadline
Charlotte left the Vale Estate that night.
No security.
No assistant.
No explanation.
She drove through the city alone.
For years, everyone told her the same thing.
They were protecting her.
But protection built on lies was another form of control.
She arrived at a private office building she owned through an old family trust.
A place nobody knew existed.
A place where she could finally think.
She opened every file she had collected.
Adrian.
Evelyn.
Richard.
Daniel.
Blackthorne.
Everyone was connected.
But one question remained.
Who was actually in control?
At 3:00 a.m., Charlotte discovered something.
A hidden account.
One transaction.
One name.
The payment had been made two days after her mother’s death.
Recipient:
Blackthorne Foundation.
Sender:
Vale Family Trust.
Charlotte stared.
The money came from her own family.
Meaning someone inside the family had funded the enemy.
She searched deeper.
Then she found the final clue.
A meeting schedule.
A private gathering.
Location:
Solmere Tower.
Time:
48 hours.
Attendees:
Adrian Cross.
Evelyn Hart.
Richard Vale.
And one unknown person.
Charlotte looked at the blank name.
Someone powerful enough that nobody wrote their name down.
Someone even Adrian and Evelyn answered to.
The next morning, the media exploded.
Every major news outlet reported the same story.
"Charlotte Vale Accused of Attempting Hostile Takeover of Solmere Holdings."
Charlotte watched the news silently.
Adrian had moved first.
Evelyn had moved first.
They were changing the narrative.
Making her look like the threat.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
“Forty-eight hours.”
Charlotte said nothing.
“If you want the truth about your mother…”
A pause.
“Come to Solmere Tower.”
“Who are you?”
The voice ignored the question.
“Come alone.”
The call ended.
Charlotte looked at the screen.
Forty-eight hours.
A deadline.
A trap.
A final confrontation.
But Charlotte had learned something.
People created traps when they were afraid.
And whoever was waiting for her at Solmere Tower…
was afraid.
She gathered every piece of evidence.
Every document.
Every recording.
Every secret.
Then she made one decision.
She would stop investigating.
It was time to attack.
Because the people who stole her empire had spent years believing she was chasing them.
They were wrong.
Charlotte Vale was no longer chasing.
She was hunting.
And when she entered Solmere Tower in forty-eight hours…
May you like
she would not come as a victim.
She would come as the rightful owner of everything they tried to steal.
