Chapter 7 - The Missing Forty Million
The Ashford Trust accounts were nearly empty.
Forty-two million dollars had disappeared.
The transfers had been executed through twelve shell corporations.
By sunrise, the FBI had frozen everything they could find.
But nearly seventeen million dollars was already offshore.
Harrison sat in silence.
Vivian stared at the financial records.
“How did she do this?”
Nadia looked at the timestamps.
“She didn't.”
Everyone looked at her.
“The transfer began before Vivian was kidnapped.”
Harrison frowned.
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Vivian's face went pale.
“That was when Daniel proposed.”
Nadia nodded.
“They planned everything in advance.”
Margaret suddenly remembered something.
“The original trust.”
“What about it?” Harrison asked.
Margaret looked at Nadia.
“There is a protection clause.”
Harrison stood.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“What protection clause?”
Margaret smiled faintly.
“Your grandfather wasn't stupid.”
She explained that the Ashford Trust contained a hidden provision designed to protect the family's assets from fraudulent marriage, coercion, or criminal transfer.
But the clause could only be activated by one person.
Vivian.
And she had to publicly declare that the marriage scheme was fraudulent.
Vivian immediately signed the declaration.
The legal team filed it.
Hours later, the judge issued an emergency order.
The transfers were frozen.
But seventeen million dollars remained missing.
Then Nadia received a message.
UNKNOWN:
If you want the money, come alone to Pier 19.
Nadia showed Harrison.
“No.”
“I have to go.”
“You'll be killed.”
“Maybe.”
Margaret grabbed Nadia's hand.
“Don't.”
Nadia looked at her.
“I spent fifteen years searching for the people who killed my father.”
Margaret whispered:
“You found them.”
“No.”
Nadia shook her head.
“I found the people who hired them.”
At Pier 19, fog covered the harbor.
Nadia walked alone.
A man emerged.
Older.
Gray hair.
Scar across his cheek.
Nadia stopped breathing.
“Thomas?”
The man nodded.
Her uncle.
Alive.
“You look like Michael.”
Nadia couldn't speak.
Thomas handed her a drive.
“Everything is here.”
“What?”
“Every account. Every payment. Every name.”
“Why didn't you come forward?”
“I tried.”
He looked toward the water.
“Eleanor found me.”
“Why help me now?”
Thomas looked at her.
“Because your father died protecting me.”
Nadia opened the drive.
Thousands of documents appeared.
Then she saw one name.
Harrison Ashford.
Nadia's stomach dropped.
“What is this?”
Thomas looked ashamed.
“Harrison knew.”
“What?”
“He knew Eleanor was stealing.”
Nadia stared.
“He knew and did nothing?”
“He tried to stop her.”
“That's not what the documents say.”
Thomas sighed.
“There are two versions of the truth.”
Nadia looked up.
“What do you mean?”
Thomas said:
“Your father didn't die because he discovered Eleanor's crime.”
He paused.
May you like
“He died because he discovered Harrison's.”
Nadia froze.
