Chapter 13 - The Trust Was MineNaomi had inherited a fortune she never knew existed
Naomi said nothing.
The lawyer repeated himself.
“The controlling interest in Palisade was transferred to you twelve years ago.”
“That isn't possible.”
“It is.”
“I never signed anything.”
“You didn't.”
“Then how?”
“Your mother did.”
Naomi's mind raced.
“She died twelve years ago.”
“Correct.”
“What did she transfer?”
“Control of the education investment trust.”
“How much?”
“Approximately $63 million in assets at the time.”
Naomi sat down.
“What?”
“The trust grew.”
“How much is it worth now?”
The attorney paused.
“Approximately $312 million.”
The world became very quiet.
Naomi laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because the human brain sometimes uses laughter when reality becomes too large to process.
Her mother had left her three hundred million dollars.
And Naomi had spent years driving a fifteen-year-old sedan.
Teaching teenagers.
Making soup.
Using coupons.
Worrying about retirement.
The attorney continued.
“The important part is that the trust was structured to remain dormant unless you built an education project meeting specific criteria.”
“Clear Path.”
“Yes.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
Everything she believed about her life suddenly shifted.
Her mother hadn't left her a fortune.
She had left her a mechanism.
A mechanism waiting for Naomi to become exactly who she had become.
“What happens now?”
“The trust is activated.”
Naomi looked at Nina.
“Meaning?”
“You control it.”
“Do Scott and Lauren know?”
“No.”
“Arthur?”
“No.”
“Then who knew?”
The lawyer sighed.
“Your mother appointed Samuel as one of the trustees.”
Naomi understood.
Samuel had known.
Richard had known.
Perhaps her father had known.
Everyone had carried pieces of a story Naomi had never been allowed to see.
She felt betrayed.
But underneath the betrayal was another emotion.
Love.
Her mother had believed in her.
Enough to prepare for a future Naomi couldn't imagine.
The attorney cleared his throat.
“There is one complication.”
Naomi almost smiled.
“Of course.”
“Palisade has an active investment relationship with Northstar.”
“What?”
“Small position.”
“How small?”
“Less than one percent.”
Naomi stared.
“Why would my trust own shares in the company trying to undermine Clear Path?”
“It wasn't originally Northstar.”
“What was it?”
A smaller company.
Northstar acquired it six years ago.
Naomi shook her head.
The connections were endless.
Then Nina interrupted.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“The $250,000 payment to Lauren.”
Naomi turned.
“Palisade made it.”
“Yes.”
“Which means…”
Nina looked at the ownership documents.
“It came from a subsidiary.”
“Controlled by the trust?”
“Yes.”
Naomi went cold.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“Unless someone gained unauthorized access.”
“To the trust?”
“Yes.”
Naomi looked at the lawyer.
“Who had signing authority?”
“Samuel.”
Naomi's expression changed.
Samuel.
The man who had warned her.
The man who had claimed to protect her.
The man who had given her letters and documents.
Could he have been involved?
Before she could process it, her phone buzzed.
A text.
From Samuel.
Do not trust Jonathan.
Naomi replied:
Why?
No response.
Thirty seconds.
A minute.
Then:
Because he isn't dead.
Naomi looked at Nina.
“We already know.”
Another message came.
You don't understand. Jonathan isn't working for Palisade.
Naomi froze.
“What is he working for?”
A final message appeared.
He is Palisade.
The room went silent.
Naomi stared at the screen.
Jonathan had not merely been an attorney.
He had controlled the entity.
He had manipulated the trust.
He had funded Lauren.
He had revived Richard's claim.
He had likely orchestrated the pressure campaign.
And someone else had been above him.
Or so they thought.
Naomi called Samuel.
No answer.
She called again.
Nothing.
Then Meridian's legal counsel contacted her.
“We traced the person who authorized the trust payment.”
“Who?”
“Samuel.”
Naomi's heart dropped.
“But Samuel warned me.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did he approve it?”
The lawyer hesitated.
“We found his authorization.”
A pause.
“But we also found something else.”
“What?”
“The authorization was forged.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
“So someone forged Samuel's signature.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Silence.
“Naomi, we recovered footage from the Palisade office.”
“And?”
“It shows the person who used the account.”
“Who?”
The lawyer said:
“Lauren.”
Naomi felt no surprise this time.
Only a terrible clarity.
Lauren had not been standing behind Scott by accident.
She had been the bridge.
But before Naomi could speak, another call came through.
Scott.
She answered.
May you like
His first words nearly stopped her heart.
“Mom, Lauren disappeared.”
