Chapter 10 - THE CHILDREN WHO OWNED AN EMPIRE
Nathaniel Cross disconnected before anyone could ask another question.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Adrian turned toward Rebecca.
"Explain what he meant."
Rebecca shook her head.
"I need the original trust documents."
Marcus was already opening the recovered financial files.
My mind raced.
Heirs.
Children.
False identities.
Millions of dollars moving through private trusts.
Then I remembered something from my childhood.
My mother once received an envelope from an unfamiliar bank.
She burned it in the kitchen sink.
I'd been twelve.
When I asked why, she told me it was junk mail.
Now I wondered whether she'd been frightened.
"Rebecca," I whispered, "what happens when someone creates a trust for a child?"
"Assets can be held until the child reaches a certain age or satisfies other conditions."
"What if the child's identity is changed?"
She looked at me.
"The beneficiary may never know the trust exists."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Which means someone else could be controlling the money."
Rebecca nodded.
"Potentially."
Marcus opened another file.
"Found something."
A spreadsheet filled the screen.
Twenty-three names appeared.
Each was connected to a private investment trust.
Millions.
Tens of millions.
In several cases, hundreds of millions.
I stared at my name.
SOPHIE ELIZABETH CARTER — BENEFICIARY 17.
Beside it was an amount.
$184,600,000.
My mouth fell open.
"That can't be right."
Rebecca leaned forward.
"The original funding appears to have come from several family estates."
Adrian looked at the figures.
"What was Cross doing with the money?"
Rebecca studied the records.
"Using layered companies to exercise control over assets belonging to the children."
I shook my head.
"Why would anyone do that?"
"Because trusts can hold valuable ownership interests. If someone controls the trustees and the beneficiary's identity is concealed, that person may exercise influence without appearing to own the assets personally."
Adrian looked toward me.
"Sophie, your trust holds shares in several companies."
"Which companies?"
Marcus scrolled.
A list appeared.
Real estate.
Shipping.
Restaurants.
Private banking.
Then one name caught my attention.
LINDEN HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS.
I stared.
"The Linden Room?"
Rebecca nodded.
"Your former workplace is one of the businesses partially owned by the trust."
I began laughing.
It wasn't funny.
But the absurdity was too much.
"I got fired from a restaurant I apparently help own?"
Adrian almost smiled.
"That appears to be the case."
Mrs. Ellis covered her mouth.
"Oh, my goodness."
I sat down.
Eighteen months of serving wealthy strangers.
Working double shifts.
Apologizing for cold soup.
Scraping together money for Mom's prescriptions.
And somewhere in a hidden financial system, millions of dollars had been attached to my name.
But then Rebecca's expression changed.
"There's a problem."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Someone recently filed documents attempting to transfer your beneficiary rights."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
She turned the screen.
A legal authorization appeared.
My signature was at the bottom.
Except I'd never signed it.
Rebecca read the filing date.
"Three days ago."
Adrian leaned closer.
"Who submitted it?"
Marcus checked the registry.
His expression darkened.
"Daniel Mercer."
My former manager.
May you like
The man who'd fired me over twelve dollars and forty cents.
And who had apparently tried to steal one hundred eighty-four million dollars in my name.
