Chapter 6 - THE INHERITANCE THAT WAS NEVER THEIRS
Daniel Cross's photograph remained on the kitchen table long after he had disappeared down the street.
Naomi stood beside it, unable to look away.
Graham sat across from her, his expression unusually quiet.
For years, Naomi had believed her divorce from Graham had been the end of their story.
They had fallen in love young.
They had married quickly.
They had discovered, slowly and painfully, that they wanted different lives.
Then came Maisie.
Their daughter had given them a reason to remain connected even after their marriage ended.
There had been disagreements.
There had been resentment.
There had been lawyers.
But there had never been a conspiracy.
At least, Naomi had believed that.
Now she wasn't so sure.
“What inheritance?” Graham asked.
Naomi shook her head.
“I don't know.”
“Could your father have left something?”
“My father died when I was nineteen.”
“I know.”
“He didn't leave me anything unusual.”
“Are you sure?”
She looked at him.
“I thought I knew everything.”
Graham reached toward the photograph.
“Who is the other man?”
Naomi looked.
The man stood behind her father.
She recognized him.
Barely.
“That's Charles Mercer.”
Graham's face changed.
“My grandfather.”
Silence.
They stared at each other.
Naomi picked up the photograph again.
Her father.
Graham's grandfather.
Daniel Cross.
And the fourth man.
Someone neither of them recognized.
“Why would they be together?”
Graham frowned.
“I don't know.”
Naomi turned the photograph over.
The message was still there.
THE INHERITANCE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BELONG TO THE MERCERS.
She looked at Graham.
“Did your family inherit everything from your grandfather?”
“Yes.”
“Business?”
“Yes.”
“Real estate?”
“Yes.”
“Investment accounts?”
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps they didn't inherit everything legally.”
Graham's expression hardened.
“What are you suggesting?”
“That someone was supposed to receive something else.”
“And you think that's why they're targeting Maisie?”
Naomi looked at her daughter.
She was still coloring at the table.
The idea made her stomach tighten.
“There is only one thing worth enough to start a war between families.”
Graham understood.
“Money.”
“Money and control.”
He stood.
“We need to see my grandfather's records.”
“We?”
“Yes.”
“Graham, this is your family.”
“And Maisie is my daughter.”
Naomi looked down.
He was right.
For the first time since the wedding, they weren't fighting each other.
They were facing the same enemy.
That night, they went to the Mercer family archive.
Charles Mercer had left behind thousands of documents.
Most were ordinary.
Business acquisitions.
Taxes.
Properties.
Trusts.
Then Graham found an old ledger.
The year matched the photograph.
The cover contained one phrase:
PRIVATE FAMILY SETTLEMENT.
Naomi opened it.
The first page listed several names.
Mercer.
Bennett.
Cross.
And another.
Whitmore.
Her blood ran cold.
“Whitmore?”
Graham frowned.
“That's not one of our family names.”
“It was my mother's maiden name.”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“My mother was a Whitmore.”
Graham turned the page.
There, underneath the family names, was a note.
The primary beneficiary is the daughter of Thomas Whitmore.
Naomi stared.
“Thomas Whitmore was my grandfather.”
Graham looked stunned.
“So this isn't about your father.”
“No.”
“It's your grandfather.”
A second page explained the arrangement.
Thomas Whitmore had developed a technology company with Charles Mercer.
The two families had formed a private partnership.
But there had been a dispute.
Thomas believed his daughter should inherit half the shares.
Charles disagreed.
The matter was settled privately.
A hidden trust was created.
The beneficiary was Thomas's granddaughter.
Naomi.
She sat down.
“I never knew.”
Graham continued reading.
“But there is a condition.”
“What?”
“The beneficiary's child becomes the final successor if the beneficiary dies or permanently relinquishes the trust.”
They both looked toward the same place.
Maisie.
Naomi felt cold.
“That's why they're targeting her.”
Graham's face hardened.
“They don't want custody.”
“No.”
“They want access to the inheritance.”
Naomi nodded.
“And the wedding was the perfect opportunity.”
“Because Vanessa could replace you.”
“Exactly.”
Graham's jaw tightened.
He had married Vanessa that afternoon.
He now understood what he had unknowingly brought into their lives.
His new wife had been placed in a position where she could gain influence over Maisie.
The situation was no longer about hurt feelings.
It was about an inheritance worth hundreds of millions.
And someone had spent years preparing for it.
Then they found one final document.
A list of trustees.
Beside the first name was:
Daniel Cross.
Graham stared.
“He wasn't just helping Vanessa.”
“He was part of the trust.”
May you like
Naomi looked toward the window.
“And he knows where the money is.”
