Chapter 5
My mother had left me more than memories.
I had always known that.
What I hadn't known was how much.
Dad looked toward the door before speaking.
"Your mother established a trust shortly after you were born."
I frowned.
"I know about the trust."
"Not all of it."
Olivia remained silent.
Dad sat beside me again.
"Your mother inherited a substantial interest in the Whitmore family's original real estate company. She placed those assets in a separate trust for you."
"How substantial?"
He hesitated.
"Enough that anyone controlling them would have extraordinary financial power."
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Your mother wanted you to have a life before carrying that responsibility."
He smiled sadly.
"She was terrified that people would see your money before they saw you."
I thought of my mother.
Her warm hands.
Her quiet voice.
The way she used to sit beside my bed and read until I fell asleep.
She had always told me that kindness mattered more than wealth.
Now I understood why.
"When do I receive it?"
"Your thirty-second birthday."
I blinked.
"That's in six weeks."
He nodded.
"The trustees begin preparing the transition earlier. Certain documents were recently circulated to the authorized parties."
My stomach tightened.
"And Adrian knew?"
"He knew you were a beneficiary of a family trust. He was not entitled to its confidential details."
Olivia leaned forward.
"We believe someone used information obtained from your household to approach a lender. The documents exaggerated Adrian's authority over your finances."
I felt nauseated.
"He was planning to borrow against money that isn't his?"
"That is what the evidence suggests."
"How much?"
Olivia looked at Dad.
Then she answered.
"Twenty-five million dollars."
The number seemed impossible.
I laughed once.
A strange, broken sound.
"Twenty-five million?"
Dad nodded grimly.
"An extraordinary amount."
I stared toward the window.
For three years, Margaret had mocked my secondhand handbags.
Bianca had laughed at my modest wedding ring.
Adrian had told me we needed to be careful with money.
Meanwhile, they had been making plans around a fortune they couldn't legally control.
"Why would they need that much?"
Olivia opened another folder.
"The Blackwood family investment company is in serious financial trouble."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Their business has accumulated substantial debts. Several projects have failed. Creditors have begun demanding repayment."
"But Adrian told me the company was doing well."
"Apparently, it isn't."
Dad folded his arms.
"They've been living beyond their means for years."
Suddenly, Margaret's obsession with Bianca's wedding made sense.
The extravagant flowers.
The expensive ballroom.
The designer gowns.
They had been pretending to possess wealth they no longer had.
And they had expected me to save them.
Or rather, they expected to take what belonged to me.
"Did Adrian know the company was failing?"
Olivia nodded.
"His name appears on several company documents."
My heart sank.
He had lied to me about everything.
Even the foundation of our life together.
The next morning, I was discharged with instructions to rest, monitor symptoms, and return immediately if I experienced concerning changes.
Dad wanted me to stay at his estate.
I agreed without hesitation.
I couldn't bear the thought of entering the house Adrian and I shared.
When we arrived, the familiar iron gates opened.
The driveway curved through the trees toward the white stone house where I grew up.
For years, I had avoided staying there.
I didn't want Adrian to feel uncomfortable around my family's wealth.
Now, as we pulled beneath the front entrance, I realized how much of myself I had surrendered to protect his pride.
The housekeeper, Mrs. Ellis, was waiting.
She had worked for our family since I was thirteen.
The moment she saw me, she opened her arms.
"My sweet girl."
I collapsed against her shoulder.
She stroked my hair.
"You're home now."
Those words broke something inside me.
Home.
I had almost forgotten what that was supposed to feel like.
Upstairs, my childhood bedroom had been prepared.
Fresh flowers stood beside the bed.
A pitcher of water waited on the nightstand.
And on the armchair was a small knitted baby blanket.
I picked it up.
"Mrs. Ellis?"
She smiled.
"Your mother started making that when she was pregnant with you."
I stared at the delicate stitches.
"She never finished it."
"No. But I kept it."
My eyes filled.
"And last month, when your father told me you were having a little girl, I finished the edges."
I held the blanket against my chest.
For the first time since the wedding, I allowed myself to imagine a future.
One where my daughter was safe.
One where nobody called me worthless.
One where love didn't come with conditions.
But that peace lasted only until noon.
Marcus arrived with new information.
"Miss Serena, the investigators have identified the source of the anonymous messages."
I sat up.
"Who?"
He hesitated.
"A woman named Evelyn Brooks."
The name meant nothing to me.
"Who is she?"
"She worked as Margaret Blackwood's personal assistant for nearly seven years."
I stared at him.
"Worked?"
"She resigned yesterday."
Dad entered behind him.
"Has she agreed to speak?"
Marcus nodded.
"She wants to meet Serena."
"Why me?"
"She says she has evidence that could establish who prepared the false documents."
I felt my pulse quicken.
"Then bring her here."
Dad raised a hand.
"Not until we know she's safe and her motives are clear."
But Evelyn was already on her way to our attorney's office.
An hour later, Olivia called.
I answered immediately.
"Did you meet her?"
"Yes."
"Does she have evidence?"
"A great deal."
I held my breath.
"Serena, she kept copies of emails, recorded meetings she participated in where permitted, and preserved instructions Margaret gave her."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"Instructions about me?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
Olivia continued.
"But there's something I need to tell you before you hear the material."
"What?"
"Adrian wasn't merely following his mother's orders."
A long silence passed.
May you like
Then she said the words I had been terrified to hear.
"He appears to have helped design the entire plan."
