Chapter 10 - The Beneficiary WarDerek couldn't steal the money anymore, so he decided to convince a judge that it was never mine.
Two days later, I was served with a lawsuit.
Derek's attorneys claimed the forty-eight million dollars belonged to Mercer Development.
They alleged Ethan had improperly transferred company assets into a personal custodial account.
The account was fraudulent, they claimed.
The settlement was disputed.
The beneficiary designation was invalid.
And, most insulting of all, they claimed I had conspired with Ethan to “conceal assets from legitimate creditors.”
I laughed when I read that sentence.
Naomi didn't.
“This is dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Because they don't need to prove the whole thing.”
“What do they need?”
“To make a judge believe there is enough uncertainty to freeze everything.”
I looked at the papers.
They were counting on panic.
Instead, I called Mr. Holloway.
He met with me in the same locked office.
“This lawsuit was inevitable,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because the account was structured to survive exactly this kind of attack.”
He opened a file.
The settlement agreement contained a clause that stunned me.
The money was protected from corporate creditors.
Protected from family claims.
Protected from anyone who hadn't been a designated beneficiary.
My name was listed in three places.
“You knew this was coming.”
“Your husband did.”
“Did he expect Derek to sue?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't he tell me?”
Mr. Holloway looked down.
“Because if he had told you, they might have pressured you before the transfer became irreversible.”
I understood.
Ethan had not been hiding the money from me.
He had been hiding me from the people trying to reach it.
The court hearing was scheduled for Friday.
Grant Holloway appeared as opposing counsel.
When I saw him, I almost smiled.
He had the expression of a man who believed the world could still be controlled by expensive paper.
He approached me before the hearing.
“This can end quietly.”
“No.”
“You don't understand what will happen if it doesn't.”
“I've heard that sentence before.”
His face hardened.
“You're playing with people who don't lose.”
I looked at him.
“They already lost.”
The hearing began.
Derek's attorney presented documents.
Debt instruments.
Corporate guarantees.
Old signatures.
They looked convincing.
Until my lawyer presented the originals.
Independent forensic analysis showed several signatures had been copied.
Some pages had been altered after Ethan's death.
Then the judge asked the question that destroyed Derek's argument.
“Why did the beneficiary-change request originate from an account associated with the plaintiff's company?”
Derek's attorney stumbled.
They blamed an employee.
The employee had already disappeared.
But not before sending me an email.
It contained one line:
Derek told me to do it.
Attached was a voice recording.
Derek's voice.
Clear.
“Change the beneficiary before she knows what she has.”
The courtroom went silent.
The judge ordered the recording preserved.
Then my lawyer presented the bank’s access logs.
Four separate attempts.
All connected to Mercer Development systems.
The temporary freeze request was denied.
The account remained protected.
As we left the courthouse, Derek approached me.
“Congratulations.”
I ignored him.
He stepped closer.
“You think this is over?”
“No.”
He lowered his voice.
“You should have taken the house offer.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because now I'm going to take everything.”
I smiled.
“You've already shown the court you forged documents.”
His face changed.
I leaned closer.
“And you just admitted you were targeting the house.”
He froze.
I walked away.
Outside, Detective Ellis was waiting.
“We got something.”
“What?”
“The mechanic.”
My heart jumped.
“Did he talk?”
“He wants a deal.”
“Who?”
“Paul.”
She handed me a photograph.
Paul Ransom.
Hands cuffed.
Eyes down.
“He's ready to tell us who ordered the brake sabotage.”
I stared at the photograph.
“Derek?”
Ellis shook her head.
“Not necessarily.”
My stomach dropped.
“Then who?”
May you like
She said:
“Paul claims Derek was taking orders from someone above him.”
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