Chapter 9: The Signature That Wasn't His
Marcus read the message again.
Someone had submitted a request to transfer the remaining assets of his father's trust.
The request had been filed that morning.
And Brielle had just admitted she knew about it.
“Tell me exactly what you mean,” he said.
Brielle wiped her cheeks.
“I thought the transfer was only a preliminary inquiry.””
“What transfer?””
“The request to identify the beneficiary and verify the documents.””
“That's not what this message says.””
She looked at his phone.
Her face crumpled.
“I didn't think they'd act so quickly.””
Marcus felt his pulse thudding in his ears.
“Who submitted the request?””
Brielle didn't answer.
He turned the screen toward her.
“The message says somebody submitted a request to transfer the remaining assets. Who was it?””
She stared at the floor.
Then she whispered, “I did.””
Loretta gasped.
Marcus didn't move.
“You did what?””
“I submitted the paperwork. I thought it would help us understand the trust.””
“You submitted a transfer request for an account you don't own?””
“I was trying to find out what was available!””
“You keep saying that as though it makes this acceptable.””
Brielle raised her voice.
“I was going to tell you!””
“When?””
“After the wedding!””
Marcus laughed once, without humor.
“You've used my mother's card, hidden documents from me, and tried to access my father's trust. And your plan was to tell me after we got married?””
“I thought you'd understand once I explained everything.””
“Explain it now.””
Brielle's hands shook.
“I found a company that specializes in locating dormant assets. They told me the trust might still hold property or money. They said I needed to submit the relevant documents to verify the beneficiary.””
“Did you tell them you were the beneficiary?””
“No!””
“Did you tell them I had authorized you to act for me?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Marcus stepped closer.
“Brielle.””
“I said I was acting on behalf of the family.””
“What family?””
“Our family!””
“We aren't married.””
She flinched.
“You keep saying that like it means something!””
“It means you don't have the right to make decisions about my inheritance.””
Brielle's eyes flashed.
“And you don't have the right to treat me like I'm some stranger after everything we've shared.””
Marcus looked at her for a long moment.
Then he asked, “Did you forge my signature?””
Brielle stopped moving.
The room seemed to hold its breath.
“What?”” she whispered.
“The transfer request. Did you sign my name?””
“No.””
“Then why can't you look me in the eye?””
She raised her chin.
“Because you're accusing me of something terrible.””
“I'm asking a question.””
“And I answered it!””
Marcus looked down at his phone.
He called the number that had sent the message.
A man answered after two rings.
“Mr. Carter? My name is Daniel Reeves. I'm an estate attorney representing the company currently administering your father's trust.””
Marcus moved toward the window, putting a little distance between himself and the guests.
“You said somebody submitted a transfer request.””
“Yes. We received a request this morning to release certain assets connected to the Carter Development Group trust.””
“Who submitted it?””
“An individual identifying herself as Brielle Carter.””
Marcus closed his eyes briefly.
“She's not a Carter. She's my fiancée.””
There was a pause.
“Understood. The request included a document authorizing her to act on your behalf.””
Marcus turned toward Brielle.
“Did you submit an authorization?””
She stared at him.
He waited.
Finally, she whispered, “I thought it was just a form.””
He covered the phone.
“Did you sign my name?””
“I didn't think it would matter.””
Marcus uncovered the phone.
“Mr. Reeves, I did not authorize anyone to act on my behalf. I have never signed a transfer request, and I have not given Brielle permission to access the trust.””
“Thank you for clarifying that. We'll place the request on hold and preserve the submitted documents for review.””
“Can you tell me what was submitted?””
“We received a copy of the original trust filing, a beneficiary verification form, and a document purportedly bearing your signature.””
Marcus's throat tightened.
“Can you send me a copy?””
“We can provide it through the appropriate verification process. I would also recommend that you obtain independent legal counsel before taking any further action.””
“I intend to.””
After ending the call, Marcus stood silently by the window.
Outside, the afternoon remained beautiful. Sunlight illuminated the lawn, the parked cars, and the flowers Brielle had chosen for the engagement party.
Inside, everything had changed.
Loretta approached him.
“Sweetheart?””
He turned.
She took his hand.
“I should have told you about your father's trust years ago.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Why didn't you?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
She glanced at Brielle.
“Your father believed someone was trying to take the company away from him. He had been receiving letters and phone calls. He became convinced that someone close to the business was working against him.””
Marcus listened, barely breathing.
“After he died, I found some of his papers. I contacted a lawyer, but the business was drowning in debt. The lawyer told me the trust might not be worth anything once the creditors were paid.””
“Did you ever follow up?””
“I tried. The lawyer retired. Then I moved, and life became difficult.
I was working two jobs, raising you, trying to keep our home. I believed the matter had been settled.””
Marcus squeezed her hand.
“Mom, you were trying to raise me.””
She looked down.
“I didn't want you growing up thinking your father had left you a fortune that might never exist.””
He nodded slowly.
Then he glanced at Brielle.
“And how did she find it?””
Loretta shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Brielle stood near the kitchen entrance, crying silently.
Marcus approached her.
“There's something I need you to understand.””
She looked up.
“I loved you,” he said.
“I trusted you with my home, my plans, and my future. I thought we were building a life together.””
“We were.””
“No. You were building a plan around what you thought I might inherit.””
“That isn't true!””
“Then why did you wait until after the wedding to tell me about the trust?””
She opened her mouth.
He continued.
“Why did you use my mother's card? Why did you take my father's documents? And why did you submit a transfer request with a signature I never gave you?””
Brielle started shaking her head.
“I can fix this.””
“That's not an answer.””
“I'll withdraw the request.””
“The attorney has already placed it on hold.””
“I'll return the money.””
“The money isn't the only issue.””
She grabbed his arm.
“Marcus, please. Don't end our relationship because of this. We can start over.
We can go to counseling. We can—”
He gently removed her hand.
“The wedding is canceled.””
Her face crumpled.
“You can't do that to me.””
“I can, and I am.””
Brielle looked toward the guests.
“So you're just going to leave me with nothing?””
Marcus stared at her.
“You're still worried about what you'll lose.””
“Because I've given everything to this relationship!””
“No,” he said quietly.
“You've given me a picture of the woman you wanted me to believe you were.””
She began sobbing.
For a moment, Marcus felt the old instinct to comfort her.
Then he looked at his mother.
Loretta stood beside the sink, still wearing her damp cardigan, surrounded by the dishes she'd been forced to wash.
The instinct disappeared.
He asked Brielle to leave.
She refused at first, insisting that he couldn't throw her out in front of their families. Raymond stepped forward and told her she could collect her belongings with a witness present.
Vanessa offered to accompany her.
Brielle rejected the offer.
Then, with her handbag clutched against her chest, she walked toward the front door.
At the threshold, she turned around.
“You think you've won,” she said to Marcus.
“But you have no idea what your father left behind.””
Marcus didn't answer.
Brielle looked at Loretta.
“And you should ask your mother why she never told you who the original trustee was.””
Then she walked out.
The door closed behind her.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Marcus returned to the kitchen and began clearing the dishes from the sink.
Loretta caught his wrist.
“Sweetheart, you don't have to do that.””
He looked at the mountain of plates.
“Yes, I do.””
He rolled up his sleeves and turned on the faucet.
Raymond quietly joined him. Then Vanessa. Soon, several guests were helping stack plates and wipe down the counters.
No one played music.
No one talked about the party.
They simply worked.
When the kitchen was finally clean, Marcus sat beside his mother at the island.
He pulled out his phone and searched for Daniel Reeves's email.
A new message had arrived.
It contained the documents Brielle had submitted.
Marcus opened the first attachment.
The second showed a transfer request.
The third contained a copy of his father's original trust agreement.
He scrolled to the final page.
There, beneath the signature of his father, was the name of the original trustee.
Marcus read it once.
Then again.
His mouth went dry.
“Mom,” he whispered.
Loretta looked at the screen.
Her hand flew to her lips.
Because the original trustee wasn't a bank.
It wasn't a lawyer.
And it wasn't Loretta Carter.
It was someone Marcus had known his entire life.
Someone who had attended his father's funeral.
Someone who had stood beside his mother through every birthday, every graduation, and every family crisis.
And according to the trust agreement, that person had remained responsible for protecting Marcus's inheritance until he turned forty.
Marcus looked at the date.
His fortieth birthday was only three weeks away.
Then he read the final paragraph.
It stated that if the beneficiary died before the transfer was completed, the trust would pass to the designated alternate beneficiary.
Marcus's hands began to tremble.
He looked at his mother.
“Mom,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“Who is Uncle Raymond really working for?””
May you like
And from the living room, Raymond answered before Loretta could speak.
“Your father.””
