The taller man introduced himself as a special agent. Two years earlier, Grandma had secretly hired Hargrove, Bell, and Nguyen to trace every missing dollar from Marianne’s trust. Their investigation eventually reached federal authorities in Nashville. Even the private jet that brought me there had been Grandma’s doing. She had paid for it herself because she wanted me to arrive safely, regardless of whatever Dad tried that morning. Gordon suddenly jumped to his feet, insisting the money had gone into the family business.

Grandma simply nodded. “Exactly.” His three dealerships had been built using my mother’s money. Gordon had taken the trust after Marianne died, then allowed his seven-year-old daughter to grow up believing her mother had left her nothing. Camille suddenly placed her phone on the table. She had recorded Gordon mocking me at the airport, and she still had messages he had sent that week. Then Rosalind cracked. She admitted signing the transfers at Gordon’s request and revealed that the trustee had been paid to remain silent. She even told investigators about a box of records hidden inside their bedroom closet. Dad looked around the table and finally realized nobody was going to protect him anymore.

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