Chapter 5

George looked at her—so frail she seemed as if a gust of wind might knock her over—and impatience flickered through his heart.

Still, he couldn’t push her too hard. He waved a hand dismissively. "Go on, then. Be quick. Aunt Fiona is almost done cooking."

He thought to himself:

She’s already back anyway. She’s brought the transfer papers and the gold pendant—waiting a few more minutes won’t change anything.

Wendy Kale also put on a show of concern. "That’s right, Suzy. Your health comes first. Go rest. Family matters can wait."

She watched as Suzy climbed the stairs, her steps unsteady, her figure looking fragile and weak.

In her heart, Wendy sneered.

A sickly thing like that won’t live long anyway. Good—saves me a lot of trouble.

The moment Suzy stepped onto the second floor and slipped out of the sightline of the three people downstairs, her spine straightened instantly.

Not a trace remained of the weakness she’d just displayed.

A mocking curve tugged at her lips as she quickened her pace and returned to her room.

She took out her key and unlocked the door.

The handle turned easily, the door swinging open.

At first glance, the room looked exactly the same as when she’d last left it.

But that was only the surface.

Thieves within the family were the hardest to guard against.

Fiona and Wendy had no idea how many times they’d slipped in while she was away.

Suzy walked straight to the wardrobe.

Tucked into the very back corner was a safe.

She entered the code.

When the door swung open and she saw what lay inside, her heart finally settled.

Inside were copies of her mother Elisabeth’s handwritten will, the property deeds to the villa, and... photocopies of evidence detailing several shady business blunders George Kale had made years ago, matters never meant to see the light of day.

These were things her mother had handed to her before she passed away.

Just in case Suzy was ever wronged in the Kale household.

She had told her:

If anything happens, take this and go to your uncle. He’ll stand up for you.

Thinking of everything her mother had done for her, Suzy’s heart throbbed.

She drew in a slow, steady breath and stored everything into her space.

Then she stood and walked into the walk-in closet.

At a glance, nothing seemed out of place.

In reality, most of the valuables had already been swapped out by Wendy and Fiona.

The mother and daughter duo had bought fakes and quietly replaced the real jewelry Suzy had left behind.

If not for last night’s dream, Suzy wouldn’t even have realized it. She had trusted these so-called family members far too much.

"They couldn’t even bother getting higher-quality replicas." Suzy brushed her fingers over a replaced gold bracelet and let out a cold laugh.

This thing was probably bought online for nine dollars and ninety-nine cents—so fake it was laughable.

She was rarely home, which was why she hadn’t noticed sooner.

Without caring whether the pieces were real or fake, Suzy raised her hand and swept everything in the jewelry cabinet into her space.

Then she left her bedroom and headed straight for George and Fiona’s room.

She pushed the door open and went directly to the vanity.

The dream had made it clear—everything Fiona Smith had swapped out was hidden in the vanity drawers.

She pulled one open.

Inside sat a jewelry box.

Fiona clearly took it out often to admire—she hadn’t even bothered locking it properly.

Suzy opened the box cleanly and decisively. Inside were all kinds of jewelry. Every single piece her mother had left her. Among them was a jade safety pendant that had been part of her mother’s dowry.

That piece alone was worth

three million

.

And that wasn’t all.

Earrings, rings, necklaces...

Altogether, the contents were easily worth over ten million.

Fiona really had some nerve. And an impressive appetite.

Suzy ground her teeth in anger.

Into the space—all of it!

She didn’t forget to neatly put the counterfeit pieces Fiona had swapped in back where they belonged.

If Fiona could replace things, so could she.

While she was at it, Suzy also swept up some of Fiona’s own valuables.

They couldn’t compare to her mother’s belongings, but they’d still fetch tens—if not hundreds—of thousands.

No way was she leaving them anything for free!