Chapter 7 - The Hidden Truth
Back at the penthouse, Grandfather’s legal team assembled in the grand dining room. I sat at the head of the table next to Grandfather, reviewing the mountains of evidence they had compiled against my parents.
The deeper the accountants dug, the more horrifying the truth became.
“It wasn’t just the gambling debts,” lead attorney Marcus Vance—a distant cousin—explained, pointing to a flowchart on a projector. “Robert and Sylvia were maintaining a lifestyle that cost roughly a million dollars a year. Private jets, Chloe’s designer wardrobe, the estate upkeep. Robert’s firm hasn’t turned a profit in four years. They were entirely entirely reliant on Elena’s trust.”
“So I was their bank,” I said, feeling sick.
“Worse,” Marcus said gently. “They actively isolated you. We found emails between your mother and your former fiancé, David.”
My heart stopped. “David? The man who left me when I got pregnant?”
Marcus slid a printed email across the table.
It was from my mother to David, dated six months ago.
David, if you marry Elena, you will get nothing. Arthur’s trust explicitly cuts off upon her marriage unless the husband signs a draconian ironclad prenup. If you leave now, quietly, we will wire you a severance of two hundred thousand dollars to start a new life.
Tears burned my eyes. David hadn’t just abandoned me because he was scared of fatherhood. My parents had bought him off to ensure I stayed single, vulnerable, and completely dependent on them, so they could continue controlling the trust.
“They destroyed my family before it even started,” I whispered, crushing the paper in my fist.
May you like
Grandfather reached out and covered my shaking hand with his own.
“They tried, Elena,” he corrected gently. “But look at you. Look at Leo. You survived the fire, and now, we burn them down.”
