She Pretended to Be Blind to Catch Her Fiancé's Greed — Then He Made a Fatal Mistake — Part 2 of 3

The Hidden Will and the Property Twist

Three days later, the estate was quiet. Brad sat in a holding cell, his designer suit wrinkled, his gold watch confiscated. He had refused a lawyer, insisting he could talk his way out. But Vivienne had no intention of letting him anywhere near a courtroom.

She sat in the same study, but this time the fire was low, and the safe was closed. Chloe played on the rug with a wooden puzzle, occasionally glancing at her grandmother with a smile. Vivienne watched her with a tenderness she rarely showed anyone.

The lawyer arrived at noon. He was a tall, silver-haired man named Edward Marsh, who had handled the Laurent family's affairs for decades. He carried a leather briefcase and a look of grim satisfaction.

"Vivienne," he said, setting the case on the desk. "I've finalized everything. The will is updated, the property titles are transferred, and the trust is sealed."

She nodded. "And Brad?"

"He's been charged with theft, assault, and attempted extortion. But there's more." Edward opened the briefcase and pulled out a folder. "He wasn't just after the locket, Vivienne. He was after the whole estate."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "I know. That's why I set the trap."

"No," Edward said slowly. "I mean he had a partner. Someone on the inside."

Vivienne's face hardened. "Who?"

"Your sister's daughter. Meredith."

The name hung in the air like smoke. Vivienne's jaw tightened. Meredith had always been jealous of the Laurent fortune, always bitter that her mother had been cut out of the inheritance years ago. Now she had tried to claw her way back in through Brad.

"She's been feeding him information about the safe's combination, the security system, your schedule," Edward continued. "She even coached him on how to manipulate you. She told him you were faking blindness — but he didn't believe her."

Vivienne let out a bitter laugh. "So my little ruse worked better than I planned."

"It did. But Meredith is still out there. And she knows about the locket."

Chloe looked up from her puzzle. "What's a locket?" she asked, her voice tiny.

Vivienne's expression softened. "It's a special necklace, sweetheart. It belonged to your mother."

"But Brad took it."

"He did. But we'll get it back."

Edward cleared his throat. "There's one more thing. The locket isn't just a family heirloom, Vivienne. Inside it is a microchip. A key to a Swiss bank account that Brad and Meredith were trying to access."

Vivienne's eyes widened. "The money from my father's estate. The one that was supposed to be locked away until Chloe turned twenty-one."

"Exactly. If Brad had gotten that locket and cracked the chip, he would have drained the account and disappeared."

Vivienne rose from her chair, her hands trembling with fury. "That little snake. He was going to rob my granddaughter of her inheritance."

"But he didn't," Edward said. "Because you stopped him. And now Meredith is going to try again."

Vivienne walked to the window, staring out at the Atlantic Ocean. The twilight cast long shadows across the lawn. "Then we'll have to be ready for her."

Meredith's Confrontation

That evening, the doorbell rang. Chloe was asleep upstairs, and Vivienne was alone in the study, a glass of red wine in her hand. She opened the door to find Meredith standing on the porch, her face pale and her eyes wild.

"Aunt Vivienne," Meredith said, forcing a smile. "I heard about Brad. I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was capable of such—"

"Save it," Vivienne cut her off. "I know everything."

Meredith's smile faltered. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I have proof you helped Brad steal from me. The police will be here in five minutes."

Meredith's face twisted. "You can't prove anything."

"Can't I?" Vivienne held up her phone, showing a video of Meredith and Brad meeting in a parking lot, exchanging a folder. "Clear as day."

Meredith's hands clenched into fists. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Always the perfect one. But you never saw what was right in front of you. Your own daughter died because she married a man you approved of. You didn't even cry at her funeral."

Vivienne flinched. The words were cruel, but true. She had been cold, distant, wrapped up in her own grief. But she had learned. She had changed.

"My daughter made her choices," Vivienne said, her voice tight. "And I made mine. But Chloe is innocent. And I will protect her with everything I have."

Meredith laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "Protect her? You've already ruined her. You made her watch you fake blindness, made her think her grandmother was broken. She's just a pawn in your game."

"She's not a pawn. She's my granddaughter. And she's the only family I have left."

Meredith took a step forward, her eyes blazing. "The only family? What about me?"

"You chose money over family, Meredith. You chose a man who would have destroyed us all."

"I chose what I was owed!" Meredith shouted. "My mother was the eldest, but your father wrote her out of the will because she married a man he didn't like. I deserved that money. Not you. Not your precious granddaughter."

Vivienne stared at her, a cold realization settling in. "Brad wasn't your partner, was he? He was your tool. You used him to get the locket, and then you were going to betray him."

Meredith smirked. "He was too greedy to see it. He thought he was in charge. But I had the plan. I had the key. I just needed him to get the locket."

"And now?"

"Now I'll take it myself."

Meredith lunged forward, but Vivienne was ready. She sidestepped, grabbed Meredith's arm, and twisted it behind her back. Meredith shrieked in pain.

"Let me go!"

"Not until the police arrive," Vivienne said, her voice ice-cold. "And they're already here."

Headlights flooded the driveway. Two squad cars pulled up, and officers rushed to the door. Meredith struggled, but Vivienne held her firm.

"You'll never get the money," Meredith spat. "It's locked away forever."

"Maybe," Vivienne said. "But you'll be locked away too."

As the officers handcuffed Meredith, Vivienne felt a strange sense of relief. The threat was gone. But as she watched them drive away, she knew the real battle wasn't over. It had just begun.