Chapter 14 - HELEN’S SIGNATURE
Sarah rushed back into the boardroom.
“Stop the vote.”
Victoria’s smile vanished.
The chairman frowned.
“On what grounds?”
Sarah looked directly at Victoria.
“On the grounds that there is another document.”
Julian stood beside her.
“What document?”
Sarah explained what Leo had heard.
For the first time, Victoria looked uncertain.
That was confirmation enough.
Julian’s attorney demanded discovery of every hospital-related document submitted by Sterling counsel.
Victoria’s lawyers objected.
The board chair ordered them to comply or suspend the vote.
Twenty minutes later, a scanned document appeared on the screen.
GUARDIANSHIP WAIVER.
Sarah read it.
Her mother’s signature was at the bottom.
The document claimed Sarah had been mentally incapable of making decisions after childbirth.
It granted temporary authority over Leo’s legal interests to a third-party family representative.
The representative was Daniel Cross.
Sarah felt sick.
“My mother would never sign this.”
Victoria leaned back.
“You cannot ask her.”
“She’s dead.”
Sarah’s eyes snapped toward her.
Victoria realized instantly that she had said too much.
Julian stared at her.
“How did you know Helen died?”
Silence.
Sarah had never mentioned it publicly.
The media had never reported it.
Victoria’s face tightened.
“My investigators told me.”
“When?”
No answer.
Julian’s attorney examined the document.
Then he frowned.
“This was notarized two days after Leo’s birth.”
Sarah nodded.
“I was still in the hospital.”
“Who was the notary?”
Everyone looked at the bottom.
Marcus Hale.
The room erupted.
Marcus looked horrified.
“I never notarized this.”
Victoria stood.
“He’s lying.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That is not my signature.”
Julian’s counsel requested an immediate forensic comparison.
The board vote was suspended.
Victoria slammed her folder shut.
“You are letting one maid destroy a billion-dollar transaction.”
Sarah looked at her.
“No.”
“You destroyed it.”
Victoria walked toward the doors.
Before leaving, she leaned close enough that only Sarah could hear.
“You should have danced.”
Sarah did not flinch.
Victoria smiled.
“Now everybody gets hurt.”
She left.
Three minutes later, Julian’s phone rang.
Security at the estate.
The east gate alarm had been triggered.
A vehicle had attempted to enter using a cloned access code.
Leo was safe.
But the code belonged to only one person.
Marcus Hale.
Marcus stared at the screen.
“I didn’t give anyone my code.”
Julian looked at him.
Marcus suddenly understood.
Victoria had not only used him five years earlier.
She had kept copies of everything.
May you like
And she was preparing to make Marcus take the blame for whatever happened next.
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