CHAPTER 2 — The Trust They Stole
The sound of shattered crystal echoed across the dining room.
My mother's wine glass exploded against the hardwood floor.
Nobody moved.
Nobody even looked at the broken glass.
Every eye was fixed on the folder lying in front of my father.
His hands, usually so steady, hesitated before opening it.
"What is this?" he demanded.
I didn't answer.
Instead, another voice came from the front hallway.
"It means exactly what it says."
Everyone turned.
A woman in a navy wool coat stepped inside, brushing snow from her shoulders.
Rebecca Shaw.
My attorney.
She had been waiting outside until I sent one text.
Now.
She calmly walked to the dining table.
"Good evening."
"My name is Rebecca Shaw."
"I'm here regarding the estate of the late Henry Walker."
Chelsea stood so quickly her chair scraped across the floor.
"You can't just walk into our house!"
Rebecca smiled politely.
"I can."
"I was invited."
She placed another stack of documents beside the turkey platter.
"The original trust agreement."
"The amended trust."
"The financial accounting."
"And twenty-three years of missing distributions."
My father's face lost what little color remained.
"That's impossible."
Rebecca looked directly at him.
"No."
"It was simply hidden."
She opened the trust to the final page.
"There are two equal beneficiaries."
"Chelsea Walker."
"And Leah Walker."
The room became impossibly still.
My mother slowly sat down.
"No..."
She whispered it more to herself than anyone else.
Rebecca continued.
"Mr. Walker has served as trustee since Henry Walker's passing."
"Under state law, a trustee has a fiduciary duty to distribute assets honestly."
She paused.
"The records indicate approximately forty-eight million dollars intended for Ms. Leah Walker were diverted elsewhere."
Chelsea's breathing became uneven.
"That's a lie."
Rebecca slid bank statements across the table.
"They aren't my numbers."
"They're yours."
Every transfer.
Every property purchase.
Every luxury vacation.
Every investment.
Paid from accounts that should have belonged equally to me.
My father lowered his head.
May you like
For the first time in my life...
He looked old.
