“And it will be excised.”

I thought of the legal documents I had secured earlier.

With the help of my contacts in the federal government, the wheels were already turning.

The international warrants were being prepared.

The remaining trust funds would be frozen and redirected.

Every dollar would go toward securing the best private medical care for our mother. She would finally be brought home, free from the locked rooms of the Swiss clinic.

But first, the conspirators here had to face justice.

Rachel began to weep openly, her face pressed against the cold floor.

Alexander walked over to the window, turning his back on all of us.

Outside, the rain had begun to fall, smearing the glass.

The heavy silence of the room was broken by a sudden, sharp sound.

From inside the King’s desk drawer, a red secure telephone began to ring.

It was the direct line to the palace security gate.

King Alaric reached down and picked up the receiver.

“Speak,” the King said.

He listened for a moment, his face growing paler with every second.

He looked up from the phone, his gaze locking onto mine.