Chapter 5 - THE HEIRESS WHO WORKED FOR TIPS
For two days, I couldn't stop thinking about Catherine Whitmore.
My biological mother.
A woman whose name I'd never heard.
A woman who apparently died protecting me.
Helen sat beside me through every difficult conversation.
She didn't defend her silence.
She apologized.
She answered what she could.
And when she didn't know something, she admitted it.
That mattered more than I expected.
Because even though the records had changed, one thing hadn't.
Helen was still my mother.
She was the woman who taught me to ride a bicycle.
The woman who stayed awake when I had pneumonia.
The woman who worked extra shifts so I could afford textbooks.
I wasn't going to erase twenty-eight years of love because somebody had altered a document.
But I needed the truth.
Adrien arranged for an independent attorney, Rebecca Shaw, to help us understand the records.
I insisted on choosing whether to work with her.
Adrien agreed.
At our first meeting, Rebecca placed several documents on the table.
"Sophie, Catherine Whitmore was the daughter of Edward Whitmore."
I frowned.
"The founder of Whitmore Industries?"
"Yes."
My mouth fell open.
Rebecca continued.
"Edward established trusts for his descendants."
I stared.
"Meaning?"
"Catherine was a beneficiary. When she died, her surviving child inherited certain rights."
My hands trembled.
"Me?"
Rebecca nodded.
"Subject to verification, yes."
I laughed nervously.
"I have eight hundred dollars in savings."
Rebecca gave a sympathetic smile.
"I understand."
"No, I don't think you do. My car needs brakes. Rent is due next week."
She nodded.
"The records suggest someone concealed your beneficial interest."
I looked at Adrien.
He remained silent.
Rebecca opened a financial statement.
"The trust's current estimated value exceeds one hundred million dollars."
I stared.
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
Then I started laughing.
It wasn't funny.
But I couldn't help it.
"A hundred million?"
Rebecca nodded.
"Potentially more, depending on the recovery of missing assets."
I pressed my hands over my face.
"I got fired over a sandwich."
Adrien's mouth twitched.
"Apparently."
I looked up.
"Don't laugh."
"I'm trying not to."
Despite everything, I laughed again.
Then Rebecca's expression became serious.
"There's a problem."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Someone filed documents last week attempting to transfer your trust rights to a third-party company."
I stared.
"Who?"
She turned the page.
A signature appeared.
Mine.
Except I'd never signed it.
Rebecca continued.
"The filing was submitted by a legal representative named Evelyn Shaw."
My blood ran cold.
The woman who paid Daniel to fire me.
The woman who visited Mom.
The woman who claimed my father was alive.
"Why would she do that?"
Rebecca looked grim.
"Because the trust becomes subject to mandatory independent review on your twenty-ninth birthday."
I frowned.
"That's in three weeks."
She nodded.
"Exactly."
Someone was racing to steal my inheritance before I discovered it existed.
Then Adrien's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"What?"
He listened.
Then looked directly at me.
"Sophie, we found Michael Carter."
My heart stopped.
"Where?"
May you like
Adrien swallowed.
"He's alive."
