Chapter 13 - THE WOMAN WITH FORTY-TWO PERCENT

Everyone had forgotten the language after "biological descendants."

If none existed, voting control passed to the parent of Arthur's acknowledged child "for the protection of that child's household."

The court ruled Grant was Arthur's legally acknowledged son even if not biological.

Pierce exploded.

"I don't want a company."

"Neither do I today."

Her first vote removed Evelyn permanently as trustee.

Her second ordered a forensic audit.

Her third created an independent child-benefit trust for Maddie.

Pierce stormed out.

Thirty-seven years earlier, Evelyn had taken her child.

Now Celeste held the vote Evelyn had spent decades protecting.

It would have been easy to call that revenge.

Celeste did not.

"This is paperwork."

"Revenge would be wanting her to feel what I felt."

"Do you?"

"Sometimes."

That honesty mattered.

The forensic audit found twelve shell companies.

Evelyn had diverted twenty-eight million dollars.

Some went to Creed.

Some to private investigators.

Some to Pierce.

And four million went to a foundation controlled by Victoria Ames.

Grant knew the name.

Rachel did too.

Victoria was Evelyn's younger sister.

The aunt Grant saw every Christmas.

If Evelyn was not his mother, Victoria was not his aunt.

But she had been in the room his entire life.

Nora pulled her bank records.

Victoria had received regular payments since Grant's birth.

"Why pay her?"

June knew.

Her face changed when Nora said the name.

"Victoria was there that night."

"At the hospital?"

"She carried Grant out."

"Why?"

June whispered, "Because Evelyn couldn't."

Rachel felt the room tighten.

"Victoria was the one who took you from the nursery."

Grant's voice became cold.

"Then she helped steal me."

"And she kept the original bracelet."

"What bracelet?"

"The hospital ID band."

"It has your real mother's name."

Grant said, "Where is it?"

"Victoria wore it inside a locket for thirty-seven years."

At that exact moment, Nora's phone buzzed.

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Victoria Ames had just withdrawn two million dollars in cash.

And disappeared.