Chapter 5 - THE MAN BEHIND THE MONEY
I had never liked Adrian Reed.
He was polished, patient, and always seemed to know what people owned before he knew what they liked. At dinners, he asked whether the house was paid off, whether I still held shares in Vance Development, whether Dad’s estate had settled.
I once thought it was harmless shop talk.
Now it sounded like research.
Ortiz called that afternoon.
“Adrian’s firm has been sued twice by elderly clients claiming unauthorized transfers. One case settled. The other ended after the client died.”
I gripped the phone. “And Brookside?”
“They received an application for your mother. The woman who toured the facility called herself your executive assistant.”
“I don’t have one.”
“She used Bianca’s phone number.”
At the hospital, Mom wasn’t surprised when I mentioned Adrian.
“He came into my room a month ago,” she said. “Bianca said he was helping with wedding finances.”
“What did he want?”
“He asked about your father’s trust.”
Dad had created the Vance Family Trust before he died. Mom controlled it during her lifetime. After her death, most of it would pass to me.
Bianca knew that.
So did Adrian.
Mom lowered her voice. “He asked what would happen if I died before your wedding.”
My stomach tightened.
“What did you tell him?”
“That the trust wouldn’t fully transfer until the estate review was complete.”
She swallowed.
“Then he asked what would happen if I died after the wedding.”
Before I could answer, a nurse entered with a medication cup.
“Mrs. Vance? Evening pills.”
May you like
Mom looked at the cup and went white.
“That’s not what I take.”
