Chapter 6
Claire denied stealing the excess LLC money.
She claimed it covered legitimate private expenses associated with keeping Sadie protected.
Allison asked for invoices.
Claire produced them.
Some were real.
A private investigator.
A lawyer.
Security monitoring around Jenna’s apartment after one threatening incident.
Others were vague.
Consulting.
Risk assessment.
Family continuity planning.
The four hundred thousand transferred to Claire’s brokerage account was harder.
She claimed the money reimbursed her for personal expenses.
“For what?” Allison asked.
Claire looked at her attorney.
The attorney advised caution.
Ryan leaned back.
That was becoming familiar.
Documents moved faster than explanations.
The brokerage records eventually showed that Claire used much of the money to buy shares in a private holding company connected to Carter Industrial suppliers.
Not illegal by itself.
But she had never disclosed the investment.
The value of those shares would rise if the Carter family retained centralized voting control.
Another motive.
Not enough yet.
Meanwhile, Ethan began having nightmares.
He believed his mother might go to jail because he had told Ryan about Sadie.
Dr. Melissa Ward met with him.
Ryan waited outside.
Afterward, she said:
“You need to repeat the same message.”
“What message?”
“He did not cause the consequences.”
Ryan nodded.
“And don’t make him your witness.”
Ryan frowned.
“He knows things.”
“He is seven.”
That stopped him.
Ethan remembered Claire telling him not to tell Ryan.
That was enough.
Adults could build the rest without asking the boy to relive it repeatedly.
Ryan followed the instruction.
One evening Ethan asked:
“Is Sadie really my sister?”
“Yes.”
“Does Mom hate her?”
Ryan paused.
“I don’t know what Mom feels.”
“She hid her.”
“Yes.”
“Do you hate Mom?”
Ryan looked at his son.
“No.”
Ethan seemed confused.
“You’re mad.”
“Very.”
“But not hate?”
“No.”
The boy absorbed that.
Then:
“Can both happen?”
Ryan almost smiled.
“Yes.”
That lesson would matter later.
For now, the investigation continued.
Allison discovered that Claire had not merely researched the trust’s multiple-child provision.
She had asked a second question.
What happened if Ryan knowingly concealed another biological beneficiary?
The answer was more dangerous.
A deliberate concealment could trigger temporary suspension of Ryan’s trust voting authority.
Ryan stared at the legal memorandum.
“Why would Claire research how to suspend me?”
May you like
Allison answered:
“That is the question we have not reached yet.”
