Chapter 10 - THE EDGE OF THE RAVINE
Ava’s fingers clung to the broken railing.
The wheelchair hung beneath her at an angle.
Rain made the metal slick.
Margaret stood above her.
“You should have signed.”
Ava looked up.
“You should have let me live.”
Margaret lowered her foot.
Before it reached Ava’s hand, Lena struck her from the side.
Both women fell against the gravel.
Lena had left the van when she saw the wheelchair move.
Margaret hit her across the face.
Lena held on.
Police emerged from the trees.
Margaret grabbed the gun.
Ethan reached the lookout at the same moment.
He saw Ava hanging over the ravine.
He ran toward her.
“Don’t move.”
Ava almost laughed.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Ethan lay flat against the wet ground.
He caught her wrist.
Another officer secured the chair.
Together, they pulled Ava back.
Margaret pointed the gun toward them.
Rebecca, still on the ground, kicked Margaret’s ankle.
The weapon fired into the air.
Collins tackled her.
Officers placed Margaret in handcuffs.
She continued shouting.
She said the trust belonged to the Whitmore family.
She said Ava had manipulated Ethan.
She said Rebecca had poisoned Henry against her.
She said everyone would regret destroying what she built.
Ethan held Ava against his chest.
For the first time, she did not flinch.
Not because everything was repaired.
Because he had not reached for her until she extended her hand.
Paramedics examined Rebecca.
The bullet had missed.
Her shoulder was injured during the fall.
She remained conscious.
Margaret was taken into custody.
The mountain operation ended before dawn.
Inside the evidence bag were the final trust documents.
They carried forged signatures from Ava, Ethan, and Rebecca.
Victor had prepared them before his arrest.
Margaret never intended to rely on Ava’s real consent.
The midnight signing was theater.
She only needed video of Ava holding the pen.
Then edited footage would support the forgery.
Even at the edge of defeat, the plan depended on replacing reality with appearance.
At the hospital, Ava asked Rebecca why she had remained distant.
Rebecca looked ashamed.
“Your father told me Margaret was dangerous.”
“I thought distance would protect you.”
“It made me easier to isolate.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca did not defend the choice.
“I should have stayed close enough for you to call.”
Ava nodded.
“Then stay now.”
Rebecca took her hand.
The criminal case expanded again.
Margaret now faced kidnapping, attempted murder, fraud, conspiracy, and unlawful imprisonment.
Mercer’s cooperation led investigators to the private accounts.
More than seventy million dollars had moved through shell companies.
The stolen money connected Richard’s death, Ava’s crash, and the planned acquisition.
The structure was complete.
But one mystery remained.
Who had restored Mercer’s hospital badge?
The answer came from Ethan’s phone.
His personal assistant, Nathan Cole, had accessed the hospital system.
Nathan had worked beside Ethan for six years.
He knew travel schedules.
Passwords.
May you like
Security codes.
And every moment Ethan would be away from Ava.
