Chapter 10 - THE FALSE MOTHER
Victoria looked as shocked as Nathan.
Grace knew instantly.
"It's fake."
Arthur's attorney smiled.
"Convenient response."
Nathan stared at the certificate.
If Eleanor Ashford were legally his mother, the Ashfords could argue rights through another chain of agreements.
It was absurd.
It was also dangerous enough to delay everything.
Samuel requested immediate authentication.
The court granted it.
The document failed within hours.
Wrong watermark.
Wrong registry format.
Wrong archival sequence.
Forgery.
But the question became who created it.
The metadata led to Martin Hale's office.
Again.
Grace whispered, "He was their factory."
Every time the truth threatened them, Martin Hale produced a new piece of paper.
Unstable mother.
Kidnapping warrant.
Negative DNA.
False birth certificate.
Nathan looked at Samuel.
"How many lives can one lawyer rewrite?"
"As many as powerful clients pay him to."
Police widened the fraud investigation.
Arthur was questioned.
Victoria was questioned again.
Robert agreed to cooperate fully.
Then the medical examiner reopened Martin Hale's death.
It was not suicide.
A sedative had been placed in his drink.
The dosage was fatal.
Someone had killed the man who knew where all the forged records came from.
Nathan looked at Victoria.
"Did you know?"
She stared back.
"No."
For once, he believed her.
Because she looked terrified.
Arthur Ashford did not.
He looked annoyed.
That night, Victoria called Grace from an unknown number.
"I need to see you."
"No."
"My father is going to kill me."
Grace went silent.
"Why?"
"Because I kept something."
"What?"
"A copy of his ledger."
Grace looked at Nathan.
He was already calling Detective Ellis.
They arranged a controlled meeting in a hotel conference room.
Victoria arrived wearing a baseball cap and no makeup.
She looked nothing like the woman who swung the hockey stick.
Grace felt no sympathy.
Only caution.
Victoria slid a flash drive across the table.
"Dad records payments."
Nathan inserted it into a police laptop.
Names filled the screen.
Judges.
Consultants.
Private investigators.
Medical staff.
Martin Hale.
Then one payment from five years earlier.
CHARLES COLE - FAMILY RESOLUTION.
Three million dollars.
Grace stared.
Victoria whispered, "My father paid Charles to make you disappear."
Nathan looked at her.
"Why?"
Victoria's eyes filled.
"Because the Ashfords didn't just want me to marry you."
May you like
She swallowed.
"They needed your company to cover something much bigger."
