Chapter 4 - The Proxy
The proxy was found inside Daniel’s suitcase.
Thirty-two pages.
Claire read every one.
Daniel stood several feet away, still holding the knife before finally placing it on a marble table.
Page after page described temporary medical authority.
Emergency financial management.
Protection of marital assets.
Then Claire reached page twenty-seven.
Her face changed.
If she suffered a serious prenatal incident, Daniel would receive immediate control of the Hartwell Family Trust.
Fifty-one percent of Hartwell Medical Properties.
Hospitals.
Office buildings.
Research campuses.
Land worth billions.
The trust came from Claire’s late mother.
Not Daniel’s family.
Maya looked at him.
“You needed her frightened.”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice sharpened.
“I needed the company protected.”
Claire laughed once.
Painfully.
“You told me the paperwork protected the baby.”
“It does.”
“It protects your access.”
Silence.
Daniel stepped closer.
“My family operates those properties.”
“On land my mother owned.”
“We built the company together.”
“Your family collects the profit.”
Claire looked toward the kitchen where staff pay envelopes had remained unopened for weeks.
Maya understood the expression.
The Sterling family spoke constantly about legacy.
They never mentioned the cleaners, nurses and maintenance crews whose unpaid overtime kept that legacy polished.
Claire turned another page.
A handwritten addition appeared beside her signature line:
Execute after emotional event.
She looked up slowly.
“What emotional event?”
Daniel stared.
“I didn’t write that.”
Maya examined the ink.
It matched the note attached to the chandelier service request.
Then Claire found the filing schedule.
The proxy had already been prepared for automatic submission.
May you like
At 10:30 p.m.
Exactly five minutes after the chandelier fell.
