Chapter 4 - The Money Behind the Paper
Adrian called June Ellis at 10:18 that night.
June was a retired judge and the independent chair of the Lantern Trust, the foundation Evelyn and her late husband had built long before Adrian became a billionaire.
"Tell me you didn't approve a transfer," June said.
"I didn't."
"How much?"
"I haven't found the full schedule."
June's answer was sharp. "Then find it before nine tomorrow."
She explained what the suspicious document could do if accepted alongside other forged records. It purported to delegate Evelyn's trustee vote and approve a restructuring of the foundation's reserve accounts.
The Lantern Trust funded clinics, medical transport, and nursing scholarships. It wasn't Adrian's money.
"The proposal came from your family office," June said. "A portfolio adjustment into a company called Ridgehaven Partners. Eighty-six million dollars."
"That's most of the liquid endowment."
"Yes. And Evelyn rejected it twice."
Adrian remembered Celeste saying the trust needed to act quickly before markets shifted.
"She told me Mom was becoming suspicious of everyone."
"Evelyn was suspicious of a deal that made no sense."
Still in uniform, Naomi sat opposite Adrian in the hospital.
"This would have hurt people who never met us," he said.
"Mrs. Vale knows their names," Naomi answered. "She keeps the letters they send."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Why didn't she tell me about the proposal?"
"She did. You told her Celeste understood the finances better."
Adrian remembered that conversation. He wished he didn't.
June texted a scanned copy of the complete transfer packet. The last page contained a board certification stamped APPROVED, though the trustees were not scheduled to meet until the next morning.
Adrian read the certification aloud.
"Unanimous consent, effective Friday at nine."
Naomi leaned forward.
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The witness named beside her forged signature wasn't a stranger.
It was Adrian's chief financial officer, Martin Cross.
