Five Million Dollars

Christian Whitmore sat at the marble kitchen island, swirling a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

He didn't look like a murderer. He looked like an ad for a luxury clothing brand, dressed in a tailored cream sweater with his styled hair perfectly in place.

As Eliana walked down the stairs, he barely looked up from his phone.

"Finally," Christian said, his tone dripping with mild annoyance. "You took forever.

Did Genevieve tell you about the transfer? The investment deadline for the commercial space is at noon. I need that thirty thousand in my account within the hour.

"Eliana stopped at the bottom of the staircase. Her hands hung loosely at her sides. In her past life, she would have panicked at his displeased tone.

She would have apologized, rushed to her laptop, and transferred the funds immediately just to keep him from walking away.Now, looking at his handsome face, she only saw the man who had wrapped his arm around her stepsister while monsters tore her flesh apart.

"Eliana? Did you hear me?" Christian turned, frowning when he noticed her silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?""Thirty thousand dollars," Eliana said softly, her voice flat and even.

"Yes. We discussed this," Christian spat, tapping his phone screen impatiently. "My startup needs the capital. Once the venture takes off, I’ll pay you back. Why are you making a big deal out of this?

"Because that money belongs to my mother’s estate," she replied, taking three slow, deliberate steps into the kitchen.

"And you have zero intention of paying it back."Christian's eyes narrowed slightly. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly replaced it with his familiar condescending smile.

He stood up, stepping closer to her, lowering his voice to the gentle, manipulative tone he always used when he wanted something."Eliana, babe, where is this coming from?" He reached out to grab her shoulders.

"Are you still upset because I went to dinner with Genevieve last night? I told you, she was feeling down about her mother's birthday. I was just being nice.

Don't be paranoid."The moment his fingers brushed the fabric of her shirt, a violent surge of revulsion shot through her. Without thinking, Eliana slapped his hand away.

SLAP.

The crack echoed through the wide, open kitchen.Christian froze, his hand hanging in mid-air.

His face turned red, a mixture of shock and fury flashing across his eyes. "Did you just touch me?"At that moment, Rosalie walked into the kitchen wearing a plush white bathrobe.

She paused, taking in the scene with a sharp, calculating gaze."What is going on here?" Rosalie asked, her voice tight.

"Eliana, why are you screaming at Christian? He came all the way over here to help you manage your mother's inheritance.

"Help me manage it?" Eliana chuckled, a low, humorless sound that made Rosalie narrow her eyes. "He wants thirty thousand dollars to buy a sports car and pay for Genevieve's designer bags. Isn't that right, Christian?

"That’s a lie!" Christian barked, though his eyes darted nervously toward Rosalie. "She’s losing her mind, Rosalie. I don't know what's wrong today.

"I know exactly what is wrong with me," Eliana said, stepping back toward the front door. "My mind has never been clearer."She grabbed her leather handbag off the coat rack and pulled out her car keys. She didn't need to start a full-blown war with them today.

Not yet. A public confrontation right now would only cause Rosalie to file legal injunctions against her inheritance access, stalling her liquid capital when every second counted."Where do you think you're going?" Rosalie demanded, stepping forward to block her path. "You haven't signed the authorization forms for the family trust account yet!

"Eliana looked at her stepmother. Thirty days from now, this woman would lock a steel gate and watch her die."I'm going to see my lawyer," Eliana said calmly.

"And if either of you follows me, I will freeze every shared account attached to this house before noon."Without waiting for a response, she pushed past Rosalie, walked out the front door, and slammed it behind her.The morning sun hit her face as she stepped onto the driveway.

The air was crisp and clear, completely free of the metallic stench of blood and smoke that would choke the city in four short weeks.She got into her small sedan, locked the doors, and rested her forehead against the steering wheel for ten seconds. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, but her mind was crystal clear.

Step one: Money.She turned the key in the ignition and drove straight to the legal district in the center of the city. Thirty minutes later, she was sitting across from Arthur Black, a silver-haired attorney who had handled her birth mother’s affairs for over twenty years.

"Miss Brooks," Mr. Black said, adjusting his spectacles as he reviewed the files on his mahogany desk.

"I must admit, I was surprised by your urgent call. You mentioned wanting to execute the full liquidation clause?""Yes," Eliana said firmly. She sat up straight in her leather chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "My mother’s trust contained a provision that allowed me to liquidate all stocks, bonds, and real estate holdings upon turning twenty-two, provided I give written notice.

"That is correct," Mr. Black noted, pulling a thick document from a folder.

"However, the total value comes to roughly 5.2 million dollars. Liquidating everything at once means selling off stable dividend stocks below market speed. You will lose nearly eight percent in emergency processing fees.

"I don't care about the fees," Eliana interrupted, her voice unyielding. "I want every single asset converted to liquid cash in an offshore private bank account. And I need the transfer finalized within seventy-two hours.

"Mr. Black paused, looking at her over the rim of his glasses. In the past, Eliana had always been quiet, timid, and hesitant to make any major financial moves without checking with her stepmother first.

The woman sitting before him now was cold, direct, and completely focused.

"Is everything all right at home, Eliana?" Mr. Black asked softly. "If your stepmother is pressuring you

"My stepmother knows nothing about this," Eliana cut in.

" And it needs to stay that way. If any information regarding this liquidation leaks to Rosalie or her daughter, I will hold your firm legally responsible."Mr. Black held up his hands defensively. "Client confidentiality is absolute, Miss Brooks.

You have my word. If you sign these authorization waivers today, the first wire transfer of two million dollars will hit your private account by Friday morning.

""Good," Eliana said, pulling a pen from her bag. She signed her name at the bottom of three separate documents without hesitation.

As she handed the pen back, her phone buzzed on the desk. Christian’s name flashed across the screen, followed instantly by three frantic text messages from Genevieve.

Eliana ignored the screen entirely.

Five point two million dollars. It wasn't just money anymore. It was titanium walls, solar grids, medical supplies, deep-water filtration units, and long-range weaponry.

She stood up, shook Mr. Black's hand, and walked out into the corridor.

As she entered the elevator, she looked at her reflection in the mirrored walls. Her soft, round face still bore the marks of her old, naive self, but her eyes held the shadow of the blood sky.She unlocked her phone, opened her notes, and typed out three words at the top of a blank page:

Land. Steel. Food.

She stared at the words as the elevator glided down. She needed to buy an isolated place up in the mountains before the city fell apart, and she had twenty-nine days to turn it into an impenetrable tomb.