Chapter 14 - The Impostor's Truth
The impostor’s smile broadened into an eerie, sickening grin.
He slowly reached up and peeled back a subtle layer of theatrical wax near his jaw, revealing a deep, jagged surgical scar.
"It took you three years to realize, my dear?" the impostor purred, his real voice dropping into a deeper, icy accent.
"I must admit, the facial reconstruction surgery was painful."
"But taking over the Sterling estate was worth every single knife stroke."
Maria’s blood ran cold as the horror of the realization settled into the room.
"You're a monster..." Maria breathed, horror catching in her throat.
"Where is the real Arthur Sterling?!"
"Rotting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean," the fake Arthur sneered without a shred of remorse.
"Where this fake wife of his should have been days ago."
Suddenly, the heavy steel ceiling vents hissed loudly.
A thick, grey smoke began pouring rapidly into the sealed room.
Dr. Vance started coughing violently from his position against the wall, clutching his neck.
"The emergency air scrubbers!" Julian shouted, coughing hard as the smoke filled his lungs.
"It's carbon monoxide!"
"He's choking us out!"
The fake Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black gas mask, strapping it tightly over his face.
He lunged forward through the smoke, sweeping his leg around to knock Julian’s feet out from under him.
Julian hit the concrete floor hard, losing his grip on the black revolver.
The gun clattered across the floor and disappeared into the thick, swirling grey fog.
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"Julian!" Maria screamed, blinded by the dense smoke.
The impostor grabbed Emily by her hair once again, pulling her screaming form through the dark haze toward the inner vault door.
