Chapter 6
The review found no stolen fortune.
No secret account.
No magical inheritance.
What it found was more ordinary.
And more believable.
Evelyn had been living beyond her own means for years.
After Dominic’s father died, she kept the lifestyle she was accustomed to.
A large home.
Club memberships.
Travel.
Staff.
Jewelry.
Charity commitments.
Dominic paid many expenses informally.
Rebecca covered others.
Nobody tracked the total because nobody wanted the fight.
Andrew’s accountants calculated that Dominic had transferred or directly paid nearly $420,000 on Evelyn’s behalf over six years.
Dominic stared at the number.
Laura did not.
“She thinks your money is family money.”
Dominic looked at her.
“Probably.”
“That’s not the same as thinking Caleb’s money is hers.”
“No.”
But the trust mattered.
Dominic’s new estate plan would separate personal support for Evelyn from assets reserved for Caleb.
It would also cap certain discretionary payments if Dominic became incapacitated or died.
Under the older structure, Evelyn had enjoyed broad practical access through Dominic and Rebecca.
Under the new structure, she would receive a fixed annual amount.
Comfortable.
But limited.
The change had been scheduled to take effect once Dominic signed the final documents.
Eleven months earlier.
Exactly when Evelyn intensified the paternity claims.
Dominic called Andrew.
“Why wasn’t the plan completed?”
“You postponed the signing.”
“When?”
Andrew checked.
“Three times.”
Dominic remembered.
Each time something happened.
Once Evelyn claimed chest pain.
Once she started a family dispute over Rebecca’s marriage.
Once Caleb became ill and Dominic canceled everything.
At the time, none of it looked connected.
Now the timing bothered him.
Laura said quietly, “She didn’t need Caleb gone permanently.”
Dominic looked at her.
“She only needed you uncertain enough to keep postponing.”
That possibility was ugly precisely because it required no grand conspiracy.
Only repeated emotional pressure.
Keep Dominic distracted.
Keep Laura insecure.
Keep Caleb’s status questioned.
Keep the old structure alive.
May you like
Still, Dominic needed proof of intent.
Suspicion was not enough.
