Chapter 3 - The Brother Who Came Back Without Calling

The guests were moved to the east salon.

Phones collected.

Doors guarded.

No one was threatened.

No one needed to be.

Sebastian's name was enough.

But tonight, even that name had been stolen.

Marcus opened the laptop.

Encrypted.

Daphne whispered:

"I know the password."

Sebastian looked at her.

"Of course you do."

She flinched.

Then entered it.

The screen opened.

Folders.

SEBASTIAN.

DAPHNE.

MARCUS.

HOUSE STAFF.

NICHOLAS.

Tessa stood behind Sebastian.

He clicked his name.

Hundreds of clips.

Phone calls.

Meetings.

Speeches.

Private conversations.

Each one labeled.

ANGRY.

CALM.

ORDER.

THREAT.

APPROVAL.

DENIAL.

Sebastian stared.

"They trained a model."

Marcus nodded slowly.

"Enough audio to imitate you."

Daphne whispered:

"Yes."

Sebastian turned.

"Who is they?"

She looked at Charles.

Charles said nothing.

Sebastian asked again.

"Who?"

Daphne answered.

"Nicholas."

Silence.

Sebastian's expression changed.

"My brother created this."

"He started it."

"Why?"

"Because he needed your voice."

"For what?"

"Access."

Sebastian frowned.

Charles spoke.

"Several banks use voice verification for emergency authorizations."

Sebastian looked at him.

"You designed those systems into our accounts."

"Yes."

"And Nicholas wanted to impersonate me."

"Yes."

Sebastian laughed softly.

"How much?"

Daphne cried.

"He said he only wanted what belonged to him."

"How much?"

"Thirty million."

Tessa covered her mouth.

Sebastian looked at Charles.

"Did he get it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Charles looked at Tessa.

Sebastian followed.

"Tessa?"

Daphne said:

"She found the flash drive before the final model was complete."

Tessa stared.

"I stopped thirty million dollars?"

Daphne shook her head.

"Not intentionally."

Sebastian looked at her.

"That doesn't make it smaller."

He turned back to Charles.

"Why help Nicholas?"

Charles answered:

"I didn't."

Sebastian stared.

Daphne whispered:

"Dad."

Charles closed his eyes.

Then corrected himself.

"Not at first."

Sebastian laughed bitterly.

"Everyone loves that phrase."

Charles continued:

"Nicholas approached me nine months ago."

"From Arizona?"

"No."

"Where?"

"Chicago."

"So he had already returned."

"Yes."

"What did he want?"

"Documents."

"Which?"

"Your father's original trust."

Sebastian's face changed.

Their father, Anthony Vale.

Dead six years.

Founder of the Vale companies.

Sebastian had inherited control.

Nicholas had received cash, properties, and minority shares.

At least that was what Sebastian believed.

Charles continued.

"Nicholas said the will had been altered."

Sebastian stared.

"By who?"

"Your father."

"That's called changing a will."

Charles shook his head.

"Not legally."

Silence.

Sebastian leaned closer.

"What are you saying?"

Charles took a breath.

"The final trust amendment was never witnessed properly."

Sebastian's jaw tightened.

"Meaning?"

"Nicholas may have been entitled to more."

Daphne whispered:

"He believed half."

Sebastian looked at her.

"And instead of challenging it in court, he built my voice."

She cried.

"Yes."

Marcus opened another folder.

NICHOLAS.

One video file.

Sebastian clicked.

His brother appeared.

Thirty-five.

Thinner.

Dark hair longer.

Scar along his chin.

Nicholas looked into the camera.

"If you're watching this, Sebastian found the laptop."

Sebastian froze.

Nicholas continued:

"Good."

Daphne whispered:

"He recorded that last week."

Sebastian looked at her.

She knew too much.

Nicholas on the screen said:

"I did not build the voice model to steal from my brother."

Sebastian frowned.

Nicholas continued:

"I built it because someone already had."

Silence.

Marcus looked at Sebastian.

Nicholas said:

"The first fake recording existed before I came home."

"Before Daphne knew."

"Before Charles knew."

"Before Evan Pierce knew."

Sebastian's face hardened.

Then who?

Nicholas continued:

"The voice that ordered Tessa punished is mine."

Tessa stared.

Sebastian did too.

"But the voice that moved eight million dollars from Vale Holdings six months ago was not."

Marcus whispered:

"Eight million?"

Sebastian looked at Charles.

Charles went pale.

"You knew."

Charles said nothing.

Nicholas continued:

"Someone has been using Sebastian's voice longer than any of us."

"That is why I came back."

"I wanted to find out who."

The video paused.

Then Nicholas leaned closer.

"And I did."

Sebastian stared at the screen.

Nicholas said:

"The person who built the first model lives in your house."

Tessa stepped backward.

Daphne whispered:

"No."

Nicholas continued:

"And if Sebastian is watching this during the engagement dinner, that person knows the laptop has been found."

A sound came from the hallway.

Glass breaking.

Marcus reached for his radio.

The lights went out.

Darkness.

Someone screamed.

Sebastian's voice cut through the room.

"Nobody move."

Then another Sebastian spoke from the hallway.

"Marcus, open the west gate."

Everyone froze.

Same voice.

Same tone.

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Same man.

Except Sebastian was standing beside us.