Chapter 15 - The Truth of Clara MontgomeryBefore the crowbar could hit the metal casing a second time, the heavy oak doors splintered open.
Detective Vance and three officers tackled Julian to the floor, pinning his arms behind his back and snapping cold steel handcuffs around his wrists.
"Julian Montgomery, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice and attempted murder," Vance declared.
A digital forensics team was rushed into the room. Within two hours, using the specific keywords Lily had provided—Zurich, payment log, neuromuscular—the police cyber unit bypassed the preliminary encryption on Julian's secondary drive.
What they uncovered went far beyond the poison used at the party.
On the drive were archived email exchanges, wire transfer receipts, and recorded phone calls dating back eight years.
It revealed the complete, terrifying truth: Beatrice had orchestrated Clara’s initial exile by framing her for corporate espionage, forcing her to flee the estate. When Clara attempted to return years later with her infant daughter, Beatrice and Julian had hired an illicit courier to systematically poison her over time, ensuring she was too weak to ever reach Arthur.
Arthur sat at his desk as Detective Vance read the findings aloud. Tears streamed silently down the old patriarch's weathered face, his heart breaking for the daughter who had suffered in silence for years just to protect her child.
In the doorway of the study, Beatrice was brought out in handcuffs, weeping bitterly as she was led past Arthur and Lily. She looked at the young girl one last time, her eyes filled with defeat.
Lily stood beside her grandfather, holding his hand tightly.
May you like
"Mommy isn't hurt anymore, Grandpa," Lily whispered softly, squeezing his fingers. "She wanted you to know she always loved you."
Arthur pulled his granddaughter into a tight, tearful embrace, holding the true heir of the Montgomery family close as the shadows of the past finally began to clear.
Related Stories
