Chapter 13 - MARGARET EXPLAINS HERSELF
Margaret insisted on taking the stand.
Her attorneys advised against it.
She believed explanation could still restore control.
She began by describing Richard’s weakness.
His sentimental business decisions.
His refusal to protect the family fortune.
She described Henry Sinclair as idealistic.
Ava as inexperienced.
Ethan as easily influenced.
She described herself as the only person willing to make difficult choices.
The prosecutor approached.
“Did you love your son?”
“More than anyone.”
“Did you use his voice to deceive his wife?”
“I protected him from conflict.”
“Did you drug Ava?”
“I followed medical advice.”
“Did you order Victor to damage her brakes?”
“I approved a delay strategy.”
“A delay strategy?”
Margaret lifted her chin.
“Ava was going to make a reckless vote.”
“You caused a car crash.”
“I did not intend the severity.”
“Did you care whether she died?”
Margaret paused.
“I preferred that she survive.”
A murmur moved through the courtroom.
The prosecutor continued.
“You preferred survival because you needed her signature.”
Margaret’s face hardened.
“The shares belonged with people capable of managing them.”
“They belonged to Ava.”
“Only because Henry gave them to her.”
“That is how inheritance works.”
“Not when children destroy what parents built.”
“Ava was thirty-four.”
“She was still emotionally dependent on her father’s wishes.”
The prosecutor displayed the office documents.
“You tried to declare her mentally incapable.”
“She was confused.”
“You made her confused.”
“I treated her.”
“You sedated her.”
“She resisted necessary care.”
The prosecutor paused.
“Does refusal mean something different when you want the answer to be yes?”
Margaret looked toward the jury.
“Sometimes people do not know what is best for them.”
The entire case narrowed into that belief.
Richard did not know.
Henry did not know.
Ava did not know.
Ethan did not know.
Employees did not know.
Only Margaret knew.
The prosecutor asked about the ravine.
“Why did you prepare forged signatures if Ava was going to sign voluntarily?”
Margaret said nothing.
“Why did you point a gun at Rebecca?”
“She attacked me.”
“Why did you raise your foot toward Ava’s hand?”
“I was trying to stop her from falling.”
The video showed otherwise.
Margaret stopped pretending to cry.
Her real expression appeared.
Cold.
Offended.
Certain that everyone else had failed to appreciate the burden of her intelligence.
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“I preserved two companies,” she said.
“You destroyed two families,” the prosecutor answered.
