Chapter 14 - The Truth Comes to Light
Vada’s phone buzzed on the sleek, glass-top desk of her new executive office on the fortieth floor of the Barlow Tower in downtown New York. She glanced down at the screen, seeing her mother’s flashing name, before calmly pressing the 'decline' button and turning the phone face down.
Across the room, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline, Truett turned around with a knowing look in his eyes.
"Was that your mother?" Truett asked quietly, taking a sip of his coffee.
"It was," Vada replied, leaning back in her ergonomic leather chair, feeling a profound sense of closure. "She’s finally realized that the estate is gone. The bank seized Meadowlark Hall this morning."
Truett walked over, placing a printed portfolio on her desk. "And according to our legal acquisitions department, because your mother forged several subsidiary signatures using old corporate loopholes, the state prosecutor has opened a formal fraud investigation into her personal accounts."
May you like
Vada looked down at the documents. For years, she had lived in fear of her mother’s wrath, trapped by the illusion that Eleanor held all the power in their family. Now, standing as an equal alongside one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, she realized that tyranny only survives as long as the victims allow it to.
"She built an empire on sand," Vada murmured softly. "And when the tide came in, there was nothing left to save her."
