Chapter 5 - The Clause Nobody Remembered
Rachel Mercer had prepared her will six months before her death.
Adrian hated everything about that process.
He hated the lawyer.
He hated the folders.
He hated the conversations about guardianship, trusts, property, and life insurance.
Most of all, he hated hearing Rachel speak calmly about a future in which she would not exist.
After the funeral, Adrian placed the will in a safe.
He had not opened it since.
That night, after Clara left, he opened it.
Olivia sat nearby.
“You should be asleep.”
“So should you.”
Adrian almost smiled.
Almost.
He removed the thick envelope.
Rachel’s handwriting covered the front.
FOR ADRIAN.
ONLY WHEN YOU’RE READY.
His hands trembled.
He opened it.
The legal document was forty-three pages long.
Adrian read every page.
Nothing looked unusual until page thirty-eight.
A clause dealt with Emma’s trust.
If Adrian became legally incapacitated, died, or was found unfit to serve as primary guardian, control of Emma’s trust would pass temporarily to a designated secondary guardian.
Adrian read the name.
Clara Bennett.
His breath stopped.
Olivia leaned over.
“What?”
Adrian did not answer.
Rachel had chosen Clara.
Not one of Adrian’s brothers.
Not Rachel’s parents.
Clara.
A handwritten letter was attached.
Adrian recognized Rachel’s handwriting immediately.
If you are reading this, something has happened that I hoped never would.
Clara knows our girls.
She knows Olivia’s courage and Emma’s needs.
More importantly, she loves them without wanting anything from them.
Trust that.
Adrian sat back.
His eyes burned.
Then he saw a second clause.
If Clara declined or became legally disqualified, guardianship authority would pass to the surviving spouse of Adrian Mercer.
Adrian froze.
Surviving spouse.
If Adrian married Vanessa and Clara were accused of child endangerment, Vanessa could eventually control Emma’s trust.
The trust was worth forty-two million dollars.
Suddenly the entire plan made sense.
Vanessa had not only wanted Clara fired.
She needed Clara disqualified.
A criminal allegation involving Emma would accomplish that.
Then Vanessa only needed to marry Adrian.
And if Adrian later became “incapacitated,” Vanessa would control everything.
His phone rang.
This time it was his attorney, David Chen.
Adrian explained what happened.
David became silent.
“How soon were you planning to marry Vanessa?”
“Six weeks.”
“And there was a prenuptial agreement?”
“Yes.”
“Did she sign it?”
“She kept delaying.”
David exhaled.
“Adrian, I need you to listen carefully.”
“I’m listening.”
“If someone wanted access to Emma’s trust, marriage alone wouldn’t be enough.”
“I know.”
“They would also need you out of the way.”
Adrian looked toward Olivia.
His daughter was watching him.
He lowered his voice.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we need to look at every unusual document, medication, account change, and insurance policy created during the last year.”
Adrian’s blood turned cold.
He remembered the headaches.
The sudden dizziness.
The nights Vanessa brought him tea before bed.
He remembered waking exhausted after sleeping ten hours.
He remembered Vanessa insisting stress was destroying his health.
“David.”
“Yes?”
“Vanessa has been giving me supplements.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know.”
“Stop taking them.”
Adrian stood.
He walked quickly into the kitchen.
Inside a cabinet were three small bottles.
Vanessa had labeled them with days of the week.
One was almost empty.
Adrian stared at it.
He grabbed a plastic bag.
Then he noticed something else.
The trash bin had been emptied.
The housekeeper had not worked that day.
Adrian checked the security application.
A clip showed Vanessa entering the kitchen at 2:17 p.m.
She removed something from the cabinet.
She replaced it with another bottle.
Then she carried the original bottle outside.
Adrian’s stomach twisted.
Olivia stood behind him.
“Dad?”
“Go upstairs.”
“What did she do?”
“I don’t know yet.”
His phone vibrated again.
Another message from Vanessa.
SHE NEVER TOLD YOU EVERYTHING.
May you like
Then another.
ASK CLARA WHAT RACHEL MADE HER PROMISE BEFORE SHE DIED.
