"""His Fiancée Pressed a Pillow Over His Mother’s Face

"Did you find what you were looking for, Naomi?"

Celeste Arden stood in the doorway. She was no longer wearing the mourning blacks or her hospital coat. She wore a tailored ivory pantsuit, pristine and unblemished, her diamond engagement ring catching the moonlight spilling through the storm-lashed bay windows.

Standing behind her was Dr. Voss, his clinical coat replaced by an immaculate black suit, a silenced semi-automatic pistol resting casually in his right hand.

Naomi did not flinch. She kept her hand resting flat on the closed laptop. "You murdered him. Right here in this room."

Celeste sighed, stepping into the study and admiring the wood-paneled walls. "Marcus was an obstacle. He was old, suspicious, and obsessed with control. Adrian is... much more pliable. Adrian listens to reason. Adrian understands that love requires surrender."

"Adrian is a fool who loved you," Naomi countered coldly. "And you poisoned his father like a stray dog."

"Marcus Vale built an empire on blood, ruthless acquisitions, and broken families," Dr. Voss said calmly, his weapon remaining pointed directly at Naomi’s chest. "We simply reclaimed what was owed to our family. My sister deserved far better than to be Marcus Vale’s cast-off mistress twenty years ago."

Naomi’s eyes flicked to Celeste. "Sister?"

"Elena Voss," Celeste corrected, smiling a razor-thin, predatory smile. "Celeste Arden was an identity purchased through an agency in Panama. Marcus thought he buried his past when he ruined my father and drove my mother to suicide. He never imagined Malcolm and I would come back to take every single cent his precious bloodline ever accumulated."

"And Evelyn?" Naomi whispered. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She existed," Celeste replied simply. "And as long as she breathes, Adrian’s conscience remains tethered to her. But tonight, that tether snaps. The hospital just called. Evelyn had a secondary arrest fifteen minutes ago. Dr. Voss had already instructed his team on what medications to withhold."

Celeste checked her diamond-encrusted wristwatch.

"In twenty minutes, Adrian will arrive here with the final probate attorney to execute the emergency succession papers. The Vale empire will belong to me. And you, Naomi... you will be found in this study, having committed suicide out of guilt after embezzling Marcus’s private accounts."