Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN WHO STARTED THE WAR

I stared at the photograph on the table.

I knew that face.

Everyone in my family knew that face.

“Margaret…”

My voice was barely a whisper.

Detective Harris nodded.

“Margaret Collins. Your grandfather’s older sister.”

I looked at Daniel.

“This can’t be real.”

But deep down, I knew it was.

Because suddenly so many things made sense.

The strange comments.

The cold smiles.

The way Margaret always acted like I had stolen something from her.

Even when I was a child.

“She never liked me,” I whispered.

Daniel squeezed my hand.

“Why?”

Detective Harris opened another file.

“Your grandfather changed his will before he died.”

I looked up.

“What does that have to do with her?”

“He originally planned to leave control of the family trust to Margaret.”

My heart sank.

“But he changed his mind.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The detective looked at me.

“Because he discovered she had been manipulating family members for years.”

I felt sick.

“So she lost everything.”

“Not everything.”

He placed another document on the table.

“She kept access to the legal structure of the trust.”

Daniel frowned.

“She had influence.”

“Exactly.”

Margaret didn’t need to own the money.

She just needed to control who received it.

And for years, she had been waiting.

Waiting for the perfect opportunity.

My daughter.

The trust.

The deadline.

“She convinced my family to do this.”

Detective Harris nodded.

“She convinced them they were taking back what belonged to them.”

I closed my eyes.

That was the most terrifying part.

They didn’t see themselves as criminals.

They saw themselves as victims.

My phone suddenly rang.

Unknown number.

Daniel immediately reached for it.

But I stopped him.

“No.”

I answered.

“Hello?”

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then an older woman’s voice came through.

“Emily.”

My blood froze.

“Margaret.”

A soft laugh.

“So you finally understand.”

My hand tightened around the phone.

“You tried to hurt my baby.”

“No.”

Her voice was calm.

“I tried to correct a mistake.”

I felt anger rising.

“My daughter is not a mistake.”

“She is the reason everything was taken from us.”

Daniel moved closer.

I put the phone on speaker.

Margaret continued.

“Your grandfather was blinded by emotion.”

“He loved me.”

“He pitied you.”

The words cut deeply.

But I didn’t break.

Not anymore.

“You’re wrong.”

A pause.

Then Margaret whispered:

“Am I?”

Suddenly, another voice came through the phone.

My father.

“Emily…”

I froze.

Margaret had my father with her.

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