The Clause in the Will
Chapter 09 - The Clause in the Will
At 7:15 the next morning, Victoria called Marcus from her penthouse.
Her voice was cold and controlled. She told him the police had questioned her, but she had protected him. She said Emma had taken Leo away and Daniel was reconsidering the marriage. Most importantly, she claimed Arthur Bell had found no duplicate amendment.
Marcus relaxed.
“I knew you would finally understand,” he said.
Victoria stared at a framed photograph of her sons as children. In it, Daniel was laughing. Marcus stood beside him, already watching the camera as if life were a contest he intended to win.
“The trustees meet at nine,” she said. “Bring me the corrected document. I will make sure they accept it.”
Marcus agreed to meet her in the executive boardroom at 8:30.
Police placed cameras in the room and officers on the floors above and below. Emma and Leo remained at the hotel with a family advocate, but Leo insisted on helping identify Celeste if she appeared on any security feed.
At 8:27, Marcus entered Hart Tower carrying a leather portfolio.
He looked exhausted but confident. Victoria waited alone at the long table. On the wall behind her hung Richard’s portrait.
Marcus removed a document bearing the foundation seal. The forged amendment stated that Daniel’s marriage to anyone with a criminal investigation in her household would disqualify him. It named Marcus acting chairman with authority to liquidate several foundation investments.
Victoria read the page slowly.
“You planned to sell the medical clinics,” she said.
“Only the unprofitable ones.”
“They serve children whose families cannot pay.”
Marcus’s smile disappeared. “This is not the time for your conscience.”
“When was the time, Marcus?”
He leaned across the table. “You taught me that this family survives by controlling the story. I gave you the story you wanted. The widow was ambitious. The boy was unstable. Daniel was weak. All you had to do was believe it.”
Victoria’s hands trembled beneath the table, but her voice remained steady. “And the necklace?”
“Insurance. Celeste will return it after she crosses the border.”
“Where is she?”
Marcus hesitated.
That pause told Ruiz he did not trust his partner. Officers listening from the next room heard him mention an old Hart marina two counties north. Celeste planned to leave by boat after receiving the final payment.
Ruiz quietly dispatched a second team.
Victoria pushed the forgery back toward Marcus. “Your father knew what you were capable of.”
Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
The boardroom doors opened. Daniel entered with Arthur Bell and Detective Ruiz.
May you like
Arthur placed Richard’s certified duplicate on the table.
“It means,” Daniel said, “you lost the foundation the moment you used a child as your weapon.”
