CHAPTER 3: THE TRUTH EXPOSED
The projector flickered to life.
A spreadsheet appeared first.
Clean.
Organized.
Devastating.
Line after line of transactions—diverted funds, shell accounts, timestamps.
Then came the signatures.
My father’s name.
Repeated.
But wrong.
Subtly wrong.
Experts in the room leaned forward.
Whispers turned into sharp murmurs.
“That’s… that’s not his hand—”
“Look at the stroke angle—”
“Those transfers—”
Eleanor’s breathing grew shallow.
“This is circumstantial,” she snapped. “You can’t prove anything.”
I nodded.
“You’re right.”
I clicked the remote.
A video loaded.
My father’s former lawyer appeared on screen—tired, shaken.
“I was instructed by Eleanor to process these transfers while Mr. Thorne was under heavy sedation,” he said. “When I refused, she threatened me. I made copies of everything. If anything happens to me—this is why.”
Gasps.
Someone dropped a glass.
Harrison stepped back like he’d been struck.
“Mom… tell me this isn’t real.”
Eleanor said nothing.
May you like
For once—
She had no control left.
