Chapter 4 - THE CHAMPAGNE TOAST
Lucas stared at the authorization form.
The wording appeared ordinary at first.
It gave Vanessa temporary power to make hospital and financial decisions if Lucas became incapacitated.
Buried in the final paragraph was a clause allowing her to assume guardianship of Emma.
The clause activated immediately upon a physician’s certification.
“Who prepared this?”
Nathan looked toward Vanessa.
“She sent it through Hartwell and Pierce.”
“Why did you notarize it?”
“She said it was part of the prenuptial package.”
“My attorney never reviewed it.”
“I thought he had.”
Lucas’s voice became colder.
“You are paid to know the difference between thinking and verifying.”
Nathan lowered his eyes.
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You sign dozens of documents every week.”
“I did not sign this.”
Nathan pointed to the electronic signature.
“It came from your secure account.”
Lucas looked at the time stamp.
The signature had been added at 8:13 that morning.
At 8:13, Lucas had been inside the estate gym with Emma.
His phone had been locked in the master suite.
Vanessa knew the code.
She had watched him enter it hundreds of times.
The police arrived at the estate.
Detective Maria Reyes entered the grand hall with two officers.
Lucas explained the locked bathroom, the forged documents, and the recorder.
Reyes separated the witnesses.
Vanessa requested her attorney.
Patricia demanded privacy.
Emma was interviewed in the library with Claire present.
The child described walking past the bridal suite before the ceremony.
She had heard Vanessa speaking to a man.
Vanessa said Lucas would drink from a special champagne glass during the toast.
After that, a doctor would say he was exhausted and confused.
Emma entered the suite because she thought Vanessa was planning a surprise.
Vanessa discovered her near the dress.
She grabbed Emma by the arm.
She told the child that after the wedding, she would no longer be family.
Then she locked her in the bathroom.
Reyes immediately contacted the estate catering team.
The champagne flutes for the wedding party had already been arranged.
One glass carried a small gold tag with Lucas’s initials.
A laboratory technician tested the residue.
The result arrived one hour later.
The glass contained a powerful sedative.
The dose would not necessarily kill Lucas.
It would make him disoriented.
It would affect his speech.
It would make him appear mentally unstable during a carefully timed medical examination.
Vanessa’s mother turned pale when she heard the result.
Patricia looked at her daughter.
“You said no one would be hurt.”
Vanessa’s head snapped toward her.
The room became still.
Detective Reyes leaned forward.
“What exactly did your daughter tell you?”
Patricia realized her mistake.
“I was speaking generally.”
“No.”
Lucas stepped toward her.
“You knew.”
Patricia backed away.
“I knew Vanessa wanted Emma sent to a school.”
“You knew about the forged documents?”
“I knew she had prepared paperwork.”
“You knew about the champagne?”
Patricia shook her head.
Vanessa interrupted.
“Do not say another word.”
Patricia stared at her daughter.
For the first time, fear entered her face.
Lucas understood something important.
Vanessa was not the only person behind the plan.
Patricia was involved.
Nathan had been used.
An attorney had prepared the documents.
A doctor was waiting to declare Lucas incapacitated.
There was also the unidentified man on the recording.
Detective Reyes played the audio again.
The male voice was quiet but clear.
“And the child?”
“By Monday, Emma Bennett will be on a plane.”
Lucas recognized the voice.
It belonged to Dr. Andrew Mercer.
May you like
Mercer was not merely the family physician.
He had been Lucas’s best friend for twenty years.
