Chapter 9 - The Inheritance Nobody Told Her About
Sloane had spent most of her childhood believing her father had left nothing behind.
After his death, her mother worked two jobs to keep the family together.
There had been overdue electricity bills.
Secondhand school uniforms.
Christmas mornings when Harper pretended she didn't want presents so Sloane could have one.
Now Tessa was telling her that a hidden inheritance existed.
And someone had been stealing from it for sixteen years.
“Show me the documents,” Sloane said.
Tessa arrived at Catherine Bell's office that evening.
For the first time, she came without Rafe.
Sloane insisted on it.
Tessa carried a battered blue folder.
Inside were trust records, investment statements, and correspondence from a financial advisory firm.
Sloane recognized her father's signature immediately.
He'd signed hundreds of birthday cards with the same unusual flourish.
Her fingers trembled.
“How much was in the account?”
Tessa hesitated.
“Originally? Four million dollars.”
Sloane stared at her.
“What?”
“The investments grew. By the time the money disappeared, the account was worth nearly twelve million.”
Sloane slowly sat down.
Her mother had struggled for years.
Harper had postponed college.
Sloane had worked nights while studying.
And somewhere, money intended to support them had been stolen.
“Who took it?”
Tessa lowered her eyes.
“Northbridge Holdings.”
Sloane felt her stomach turn.
“The company registered under your mother's name.”
“Yes.”
“Did your mother steal it?”
“No.”
Tessa shook her head fiercely.
“She discovered the theft. That's why she was investigating Calder Maritime.”
Sloane opened another document.
A trust beneficiary form.
Her own name appeared beside Harper's.
Then she saw the signature of the person who had authorized the transfer.
Grant Kesler.
The same man who had appeared at Harper's apartment.
Who had tried to convince her she was in danger.
Who had sent a fake doctor.
The man had been stealing from her family long before she'd met Rafe.
Suddenly, the entire situation looked different.
Her marriage hadn't created the danger.
It had brought her close enough to the people involved to uncover it.
Tessa wiped her eyes.
“My mother tried to recover the money. She was killed before she could finish.”
Sloane stared at her.
“Then Grant murdered her?”
“I don't know.”
“But you suspect him.”
“Yes.”
For a long moment, Sloane said nothing.
Then she asked the question she'd been afraid to ask.
“Did Rafe know about my father's trust?”
Tessa shook her head.
“Not until yesterday.”
Sloane exhaled.
Somehow, that mattered.
A great deal.
She called Rafe.
He answered immediately.
“Sloane?”
“I found the inheritance.”
“I know.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Tessa said she wanted to bring the original records to you herself. They belong to you.”
Sloane went quiet.
He had stepped back.
He had allowed someone else to deliver information without controlling the moment.
She looked toward the papers.
“Rafe, I think Grant has been planning this for years.”
“So do I.”
“There's something you should know.”
She explained the beneficiary form.
The missing money.
Her father's connection.
Rafe listened carefully.
Then he asked, “Sloane, what was your father's full name?”
She frowned.
“Jonathan Whitmore.”
A silence followed.
Rafe's breathing changed.
“Rafe?”
“Your father wasn't just an investor.”
“What?”
“He was my father's business partner.”
Sloane's heart stopped.
May you like
Rafe continued quietly.
“And sixteen years ago, Jonathan Whitmore was scheduled to testify against Grant Kesler's father.”
