Chapter 12: The Woman Who Wanted My Inheritance
Naomi refused to let me meet Sophia alone.
She arranged for Peter to accompany us and informed two trusted investigators of our location.
We agreed to meet in a private conference room at the Riverside Hotel.
Sophia arrived at exactly eight o'clock.
She wore a beige coat and carried a small handbag. Her hair was tied back, and for the first time since I had known her, she wore no engagement ring.
She looked at me.
“Ethan.””
I didn't answer.
She sat across from my wheelchair.
Naomi remained standing.
“Anything you say here may be documented,” she warned.
Sophia gave a faint smile.
“I expected that.””
I looked at her.
“Why did you send me the recording?””
“Because I owe you the truth.””
“You owe me much more than that.””
She lowered her eyes.
“I know.””
“Were you planning to marry me because of the inheritance?””
Sophia was silent.
“Answer me.””
“Yes.””
The word was quiet.
But it hit harder than a scream.
“How long?””
“From the beginning.””
I looked away.
“How did we meet?””
“At the charity auction.””
“Who arranged it?””
“Marcus.””
My hands tightened.
“Did he tell you to approach me?””
“Yes.””
“Did he tell you to pretend you loved me?””
Sophia started crying.
“He told me to get close to you, learn about the company, and find out whether your father had left you anything.””
“And the engagement?””
“At first, it was part of the plan.””
“Was any of it real?””
She looked directly at me.
“Yes.””
I laughed without humor.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I did love you.””
“You drugged me.””
Sophia lowered her head.
“I didn't know exactly what was in every tablet.””
“But you knew they weren't my prescribed medication.””
She didn't answer.
Naomi placed Elena's laboratory report on the table.
“Your sister's company received fourteen payments for fraudulent medical supplies. Those funds were connected to the medication changes.””
Sophia stared at the report.
“Claire handled the financial arrangements.””
“On your instructions?””
“I never told her to harm Ethan.””
I leaned forward.
“Did you tell her to keep me too weak to recover?””
Sophia's eyes filled.
“I wanted more time.””
“For what?””
“To secure the inheritance.””
I stared at her.
Then she opened her handbag and placed a document on the table.
It was an old trust agreement.
The Hale family trust.
The same document we had found in my father's storage unit.
Sophia pointed to a section near the bottom.
“Your father established a private inheritance account for you. It contained proceeds from the original patent agreements, several properties, and an investment portfolio.””
Naomi scanned the document.
“According to this, the account was supposed to become accessible when Ethan turned thirty-five.””
Sophia nodded.
“Marcus wanted the money.””
“Why?””
“Because he believed some of the assets rightfully belonged to the Vale family.””
I looked at her.
“And you were supposed to steal them?””
Sophia swallowed.
“Marcus told me I was entitled to my father's legacy.””
“Your father's legacy was never yours to take from me.””
“He said your father had cheated our family.””
“And you believed him?””
Sophia looked down.
“I wanted to believe him.””
For the first time, her tears seemed genuine.
But I could no longer tell whether she was crying because she regretted what she had done or because her plan was collapsing.
“Tell me about my father,” I said.
Sophia took a breath.
“When I was younger, your father supported me financially. He arranged my education. He helped me find work. He never told anyone I was his wife's daughter from a previous relationship.””
Margaret had told us part of this already.
But Sophia's next words were unexpected.
“He also gave me a job at Hale Meridian under my other name.””
“What name?””
“Sophie Vale.””
Naomi frowned.
“You worked for the company?””
“For almost two years. I had access to the accounting department.””
“Then what happened?””
“Marcus found out I was helping your father investigate the missing money.””
I stared at her.
“You were helping my father?””
She nodded.
“Until the night he died.””
“What changed?””
Sophia closed her eyes.
“Marcus showed me a document. He claimed my father had signed away his interest in the company before his death. He said the whole investigation was pointless.””
“And you believed him.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I was afraid he would reveal who I was.””
I shook my head.
“You already knew who you were.””
“You don't understand. Marcus had spent years telling me that my mother abandoned me and that your father only helped me because he felt guilty.””
She wiped her face.
“He made me believe I had been given scraps while you inherited everything.””
I stared at her.
“So you decided to take it.””
She nodded.
I looked at Naomi.
“Ask her about the accident.””
Sophia immediately stiffened.
“I didn't plan to hurt Ethan.””
Naomi placed a photograph on the table.
The woman in the garage.
The silver bracelet.
The envelope addressed to Marcus.
“Is this you?””
Sophia examined it.
“Yes.””
“What did you do to his car?””
“I didn't touch the brakes.””
“Then what did you do?””
“I left a device inside the car.””
“What device?””
“A tracking device. Marcus wanted to know where Ethan was going.””
Naomi leaned forward.
“And the envelope?””
Sophia looked at me.
“It contained the original letter your father wrote to Marcus before he died.””
“What letter?””
Sophia opened her handbag and produced a folded page.
It was old, yellowed, and signed by my father.
Naomi took it.
The letter contained a warning.
My father had threatened to expose Marcus's financial fraud unless he returned the stolen assets.
Below the warning was a handwritten paragraph.
*I know what happened to the second set of records. I know who altered the transfer agreements. And I know that Margaret was never supposed to be involved.*
I looked at Sophia.
“What does that mean?””
She swallowed.
“Your father discovered that someone had used your mother's signature to transfer company property.””
“Who?””
“Marcus.””
I looked at the document.
Then I saw another name written beneath my father's signature.
William Foster.
Dr. Foster.
The doctor had been involved in the original company fraud, not merely the medical scheme after my accident.
I leaned toward Sophia.
“Why did Marcus pay him?””
“Because Foster knew about the original agreements. He helped authenticate documents for Richard Vale.””
Naomi slowly closed the folder.
“Then he wasn't simply treating Ethan. He was helping Marcus maintain control over the fraudulent records.””
Sophia nodded.
“He also knew about the medication arrangement.””
The room went silent.
“Who chose the medication?”” I asked.
“Marcus.””
“And who administered it?””
Sophia lowered her eyes.
“Me.””
I looked at her for several seconds.
Then I said, “Get out.””
She started crying.
“Ethan, please.””
“Get out.””
“I can help you recover the inheritance.””
“You've done enough.””
She stood.
Before leaving, she turned toward Naomi.
“There's one more thing.””
Naomi crossed her arms.
“What?””
Sophia looked at me.
“Marcus isn't planning to wait for the board meeting anymore. He's going to file an emergency petition declaring Ethan medically incapacitated.””
Naomi immediately reached for her phone.
“When?””
“Tomorrow morning.””
“Based on what evidence?””
“Dr. Foster's assessment.””
“But his medical authority is under review.””
Sophia nodded.
“Marcus doesn't need it if he can get another doctor to sign.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
Sophia hesitated.
“Your rehabilitation specialist.””
I looked at her.
“Dr. Lewis?””
She nodded.
I remembered Dr. Lewis.
He had been one of the first physicians to tell me that my chances of walking again were extremely limited.
He had always seemed sympathetic.
But Sophia's next sentence made me understand why she had wanted to meet.
“He has been receiving money from Marcus for six months.””
Naomi immediately called her investigator.
But before the call connected, Sophia placed a small flash drive on the table.
“This contains the original payment records.””
Naomi stared at it.
“Why are you giving us this?””
“Because I don't want Marcus to get away with everything.””
I looked at Sophia.
“Why should I trust you?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“You shouldn't.””
Then she reached for the door.
But I stopped her.
“One more question.””
She turned.
“Did you know Marcus intended to kill me?””
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she whispered:
“Not until the morning after your accident.””
My chest tightened.
“What happened that morning?””
Sophia looked directly at me.
“Marcus called me. He said the car was supposed to stop you, not kill you.””
“And?””
“He told me someone had changed the plan.””
“Who?””
Sophia's lips trembled.
“Someone who had access to your father's old records.””
“Who?””
She took a step backward.
Then she said:
“Your mother.””
The door opened behind her.
Margaret stood there.
She had followed us from the car.
Her face was drained of color.
“That's a lie,” she whispered.
Sophia turned toward her.
“No, Mother. It's time you stopped pretending.””
I looked at Margaret.
“Mom?””
She shook her head violently.
“I never touched your car.””
Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
“You didn't touch his car. You gave Marcus the spare key.””
I stared at my mother.
Naomi slowly stood.
And Margaret finally said the words that would change everything.
“I gave him the key because your father asked me to.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Why would Dad ask you to give Marcus the key?””
Margaret looked at me.
“Because Marcus wasn't the person your father was trying to stop.””
She took a trembling breath.
May you like
“The person he feared was already inside our family.””
And then she pointed directly at the woman who had raised me.
