Chapter 6 - THE CUP BESIDE THE BED
Emily had not slept through the night in months.
She had believed pregnancy was responsible.
She would drink the chamomile tea Preston prepared.
Within twenty minutes, she could barely keep her eyes open.
Sometimes she woke confused.
Once she found muddy footprints near the back door.
Another time her home office had been unlocked.
Preston always had explanations.
“You’re exhausted.”
“You’re forgetful.”
“You’re pregnant.”
Emily had begun doubting herself.
Now she understood.
Raymond ordered a private toxicology specialist.
Detective Ortiz requested a warrant.
Emily was discharged two days later under strict instructions.
She did not return to the Whitmore house.
Raymond took her to the Saint Claire estate outside the city.
The home had belonged to Emily’s grandmother.
It was quiet.
Secure.
Familiar.
That evening, Ortiz called.
Police had searched Emily’s marital home.
They found sedatives inside a locked drawer in Preston’s study.
They also found copies of Emily’s signature.
Raymond listened on speakerphone.
“What were the signatures used for?”
“Corporate authorization forms.”
Emily felt sick.
“How many?”
“Dozens.”
Ortiz continued.
“And there’s something else.”
A laptop had been recovered.
The hard drive contained drafts of financial documents transferring voting rights from Emily’s trust to Preston after the birth of their child.
Emily frowned.
“He couldn’t do that.”
“Not legally.”
Raymond answered.
“But he could if he convinced a court she lacked capacity.”
The room became silent.
Emily remembered every time Preston called her unstable.
Every argument he secretly recorded.
Every dinner where his mother commented on Emily’s emotional state.
They were building a story.
A pregnant woman.
Stressed.
Confused.
Unfit to control billions.
Emily pressed both hands over her face.
“This was never about Vanessa.”
Raymond sat beside her.
“No.”
“Vanessa was just part of it.”
A knock sounded at the front door.
Security checked the camera.
A woman stood outside in the rain.
It was Alicia Moreno.
She carried a cardboard box.
When Raymond’s guards brought her inside, Alicia looked at Emily and began crying.
“I’m sorry.”
Emily stood slowly.
“For what?”
Alicia opened the box.
Inside were financial records.
Emails.
Photographs.
And a copy of Emily and Preston’s marriage license.
Alicia pointed to Preston’s signature.
“That marriage was the final step.”
Emily stared at her.
“Final step in what?”
May you like
Alicia swallowed.
“In taking the Saint Claire hospitals away from you.”
