Chapter Six: The Second Trap
Vivian believed she could still control the ending.
She and Daniel drove to a private airfield outside the city, carrying financial records that could connect them to fraud, surveillance, and attempted manipulation of Khloe’s medical care.
But Marcus knew the airfield.
His mother had used it for years when she wanted to travel without company security recording her destination.
He gave the location to Detective Ortiz.
By the time Vivian arrived, police were waiting.
Daniel panicked.
He abandoned the car and ran toward an equipment hangar, leaving Vivian standing beside the luggage.
She watched officers surround her.
Then she lifted her chin and demanded to speak to her attorney.
Daniel was captured ten minutes later.
Inside the luggage, investigators found the hard drives, two passports under false names, cash, and a sealed envelope addressed to Marcus.
The letter was not an apology.
It blamed Khloe.
Vivian wrote that Marcus had become weak after meeting her. She claimed Khloe had poisoned him against tradition, responsibility, and family loyalty. She insisted everything she had done was necessary to preserve the Thorne legacy.
Marcus read only half the letter before placing it on Detective Ortiz’s desk.
“Use it as evidence.”
“You don’t want to keep it?”
“I’ve kept enough of my mother’s poison.”
At the hospital, Khloe learned that the supplements delivered to her had contained ordinary prenatal ingredients mixed with a mild sedative not recommended during pregnancy without medical supervision.
The dose was not expected to cause lasting harm, but it explained months of dizziness and exhaustion.
Vivian’s goal had not been to seriously injure her.
It had been to make her appear unwell.
The therapist, Dr. Samuel Crane, was arrested after investigators found payments from a Rossi consulting company. His private notes contained false descriptions of paranoia, emotional instability, and hostility.
Khloe read one page before pushing it away.
“I never said any of this.”
“We know,” Elias assured her.
But knowing the truth did not erase what had been done.
Khloe felt as though strangers had entered her mind and rewritten her life.
That evening, Marcus returned to her room.
He carried no flowers. No expensive gifts. No dramatic promises.
He placed a folder on the table.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Documents transferring control of the house, our joint accounts, and the family trust established for the baby.”
Khloe frowned.
“To whom?”
“To an independent trustee chosen by you.”
“Why?”
“Because my family used money as a weapon. I don’t want you trapped by it.”
“You think giving away control fixes this?”
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Removing every reason you might feel forced to stay.”
Khloe studied him.
For years, Marcus had solved problems by writing checks and making calls. But this time, he seemed to understand that the gesture was not the solution.
It was simply the removal of a chain.
“There’s something else,” he said.
He handed her a second document.
It was his resignation as chief executive of Thorne Global.
Khloe looked up sharply.
“You’re leaving the company?”
“Temporarily. Until the investigation is complete.”
“You built that company.”
“I inherited power inside it. That isn’t the same as building it.”
“What will you do?”
“Tell the truth.”
May you like
Marcus looked at the monitor beside her bed.
“And then I’ll accept whatever remains.”
