Chapter 12
Three days passed.
Three days of police investigations, media frenzy, and sleepless nights.
Dr. Werner was arrested first. He broke within hours of interrogation, confirming everything. Helen had approached him fifteen years ago with an offer — half a million dollars to prescribe a specific medication and sign off on the death certificate without a full autopsy.
Richard Blackwell had funded it through a shell company. The motive was pure greed — with Mei Lin gone and no will surfacing, Helen could claim guardianship of the estate, and Blackwell could strip the subsidiaries.
They hadn't counted on the will existing. They hadn't counted on me finding it.
The news broke like a earthquake. "BILLIONAIRE HEIRESS'S MOTHER MURDERED IN INHERITANCE SCHEME." My face was everywhere. The girl nobody wanted was suddenly the woman everyone was watching.
Daniel was beside me through all of it. Steady, unshakable.
On the third morning, he brought coffee to my office and sat across from me.
"The war is almost over," he said quietly.
"Not until Helen is found."
"She will be." He reached across the desk and took my hand. This time, I didn't pull away. "Ashley, when this ends — and it will end — what do you want?"
I blinked. No one had ever asked me that. Not what I was supposed to do. Not what duty required. What I wanted.
"Peace," I said after a long moment. "And something real."
His thumb traced a circle on the back of my hand. "I'd like to be part of that. If you'll let me."
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Ryan.
"I found her." His voice was sharp with adrenaline. "She's at a private airfield outside the city. The Lane family arranged a jet. It's scheduled to depart in two hours."
I was on my feet instantly. "Send me the location."
"Already sent it to the police. But Ashley — she has something with her. Documents. She was waving them around, threatening the pilot, saying she had enough to bring down 'everyone.'"
My mother's original will? More evidence?
"I'm coming there," I said.
"Ashley, don't—"
I hung up and grabbed my coat.
Daniel was already standing. "I'm driving."
We arrived at the airfield simultaneously with police vehicles. The scene was tense — Helen stood on the tarmac beside a small private jet, clutching a briefcase, surrounded by officers.
She saw me step out of the car and her face twisted with pure hatred.
"YOU!" she screamed. "You ungrateful wretch! Everything I did — EVERYTHING — was because your mother chose you over my daughter! Her precious Ashley! Always Ashley!"
I walked closer, flanked by Daniel and two officers.
"You killed her," I said, my voice barely above a whisper but carrying across the tarmac in the wind. "You murdered my mother."
"She was going to disinherit my daughter!" Helen shrieked. "The will — she was going to leave everything to you. NOTHING for my child. After I raised you! After I gave up my life for that family!"
"So you killed her." It wasn't a question.
Helen's face crumpled, the fury giving way to something uglier — self-pity.
"She left me no choice. If the will went through, my daughter and I would have had nothing. NOTHING!"
An officer moved forward. "Ma'am, you're under arrest—"
Helen opened the briefcase and pulled out papers, waving them wildly. "If I go down, EVERYONE goes down! Richard, the Lanes, all of them!"
The officers closed in. Helen fought, screaming, until she was handcuffed and placed in a squad car.
I watched the car pull away, its lights disappearing into the night.
My knees buckled, and Daniel was there, his arm around me, holding me up.
"It's over," he murmured against my hair. "It's finally over."
Tears came then — not of sadness, but of release. Fifteen years of injustice, three years of captivity, months of warfare.
Over.
Ryan stood twenty feet away, watching. He had led the police here. He had kept his promise.
Our eyes met across the tarmac.
He nodded once — a quiet acknowledgment, an unspoken goodbye.
Then he got in his car and drove away.
Three days of police investigations, media frenzy, and sleepless nights.
Dr. Werner was arrested first. He broke within hours of interrogation, confirming everything. Helen had approached him fifteen years ago with an offer — half a million dollars to prescribe a specific medication and sign off on the death certificate without a full autopsy.
Richard Blackwell had funded it through a shell company. The motive was pure greed — with Mei Lin gone and no will surfacing, Helen could claim guardianship of the estate, and Blackwell could strip the subsidiaries.
They hadn't counted on the will existing. They hadn't counted on me finding it.
The news broke like a earthquake. "BILLIONAIRE HEIRESS'S MOTHER MURDERED IN INHERITANCE SCHEME." My face was everywhere. The girl nobody wanted was suddenly the woman everyone was watching.
Daniel was beside me through all of it. Steady, unshakable.
On the third morning, he brought coffee to my office and sat across from me.
"The war is almost over," he said quietly.
"Not until Helen is found."
"She will be." He reached across the desk and took my hand. This time, I didn't pull away. "Ashley, when this ends — and it will end — what do you want?"
I blinked. No one had ever asked me that. Not what I was supposed to do. Not what duty required. What I wanted.
"Peace," I said after a long moment. "And something real."
His thumb traced a circle on the back of my hand. "I'd like to be part of that. If you'll let me."
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Ryan.
"I found her." His voice was sharp with adrenaline. "She's at a private airfield outside the city. The Lane family arranged a jet. It's scheduled to depart in two hours."
I was on my feet instantly. "Send me the location."
"Already sent it to the police. But Ashley — she has something with her. Documents. She was waving them around, threatening the pilot, saying she had enough to bring down 'everyone.'"
My mother's original will? More evidence?
"I'm coming there," I said.
"Ashley, don't—"
I hung up and grabbed my coat.
Daniel was already standing. "I'm driving."
We arrived at the airfield simultaneously with police vehicles. The scene was tense — Helen stood on the tarmac beside a small private jet, clutching a briefcase, surrounded by officers.
She saw me step out of the car and her face twisted with pure hatred.
"YOU!" she screamed. "You ungrateful wretch! Everything I did — EVERYTHING — was because your mother chose you over my daughter! Her precious Ashley! Always Ashley!"
I walked closer, flanked by Daniel and two officers.
"You killed her," I said, my voice barely above a whisper but carrying across the tarmac in the wind. "You murdered my mother."
"She was going to disinherit my daughter!" Helen shrieked. "The will — she was going to leave everything to you. NOTHING for my child. After I raised you! After I gave up my life for that family!"
"So you killed her." It wasn't a question.
Helen's face crumpled, the fury giving way to something uglier — self-pity.
"She left me no choice. If the will went through, my daughter and I would have had nothing. NOTHING!"
An officer moved forward. "Ma'am, you're under arrest—"
Helen opened the briefcase and pulled out papers, waving them wildly. "If I go down, EVERYONE goes down! Richard, the Lanes, all of them!"
The officers closed in. Helen fought, screaming, until she was handcuffed and placed in a squad car.
I watched the car pull away, its lights disappearing into the night.
My knees buckled, and Daniel was there, his arm around me, holding me up.
"It's over," he murmured against my hair. "It's finally over."
Tears came then — not of sadness, but of release. Fifteen years of injustice, three years of captivity, months of warfare.
Over.
Ryan stood twenty feet away, watching. He had led the police here. He had kept his promise.
Our eyes met across the tarmac.
He nodded once — a quiet acknowledgment, an unspoken goodbye.
Then he got in his car and drove away.