Chapter 2 - The PaperworkRosalind reached for the folder.
I stopped her.
“Don't.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you should read it properly.”
Gabriel stepped closer.
“What is it?”
I opened the folder.
The first page was a letter from my mother's estate attorney.
The second was a copy of the trust.
The third was a bank statement.
The fourth was a legal declaration regarding the inheritance.
Gabriel's face changed.
“What did your mother do?”
I looked at him.
“She protected me.”
Rosalind scoffed.
“From what?”
“From people exactly like you.”
Her mouth dropped open.
Gabriel looked at the document.
“This says the inheritance is separate property.”
“Yes.”
“Even though you're married?”
“Yes.”
He looked confused.
“How?”
“My mother created the trust three years ago.”
Rosalind stared at me.
“Why?”
“Because she knew you.”
The silence was brutal.
My mother had been observant.
She had met Rosalind several times.
She knew how quickly conversations changed whenever money came up.
She knew Roderick's history.
And apparently, she knew something I hadn't.
The trust contained one condition.
The inheritance could never be transferred to Gabriel, Rosalind, Roderick, or any company controlled by them.
Ever.
Gabriel's face went pale.
“That can't be legal.”
“It is.”
“Who told you?”
“My attorney.”
Rosalind snatched the document.
Her eyes moved rapidly across the page.
Then stopped.
“What is this?”
I watched her read.
A clause required the estate to remain separate from marital assets.
Another clause gave me complete control.
A third clause triggered if anyone attempted to coerce me into transferring the funds.
Rosalind slowly looked up.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” I said, “that every attempt you make to pressure me becomes evidence.”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“Are you threatening us?”
“No.”
I smiled.
“I'm warning you.”
He stepped toward me.
“We're your family.”
I looked at him.
“My mother was my family.”
That silenced him.
Then Rosalind said something that changed everything.
“She wouldn't want you sitting on eight million dollars while her son-in-law's family struggles.”
I laughed softly.
“My mother left money to me.”
“Because she trusted you.”
“Exactly.”
Rosalind's face reddened.
Gabriel looked furious.
But I wasn't finished.
I removed another document.
“This is the interesting part.”
Gabriel stared at it.
“What is that?”
“The forensic accounting report.”
His expression changed immediately.
“What accounting?”
“The one my attorney commissioned after my mother died.”
I placed it on the table.
It showed every suspicious transaction involving my mother’s accounts during the last year of her life.
Three withdrawals.
Two attempted transfers.
One forged authorization.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
Roderick.
Gabriel looked at his mother.
Rosalind looked at him.
I watched both of them.
Then I said:
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“My mother didn't just leave me eight million dollars.”
“She left me proof.”
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