Chapter 8 - The Child Hidden in the Trust
Vivian drove directly to Malcolm Fraser’s office.
The trust was already open on the conference table.
Malcolm pointed to the clause.
Her father had written it twenty-one years earlier, before Zachary was born.
Upon the death of my daughter Vivian, or upon a qualifying corporate succession event, founder voting units shall transfer to my eldest living biological grandchild.
Vivian read it twice.
“Zachary is my eldest biological child.”
“Yes.”
“So what is Charles trying to challenge?”
Donald sat across from her.
“There may be another grandchild.”
Vivian stared at him.
“What?”
Donald looked sick.
“Mine.”
Vivian laughed in disbelief.
“You don’t have children.”
“I didn’t think I did.”
Silence.
Donald began to explain.
Twenty-four years earlier, he had been involved with a woman named Elena Marquez.
She became pregnant.
Donald proposed.
Elena disappeared before the wedding.
She later wrote that she had lost the baby.
Donald believed her.
Until Charles contacted him six months ago.
“He said Elena had a daughter.”
Vivian whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I thought it was a scam.”
“Did you investigate?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Donald placed a photograph on the table.
A woman in her early twenties.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
Vivian stared.
She looked like Donald.
Her name was Sofia Marquez.
Twenty-three years old.
If she was Donald’s biological daughter, she was Richard Alston’s eldest grandchild.
The founder trust belonged to her.
Not Zachary.
Vivian looked toward her son.
He had remained silent.
Finally he shrugged.
“Okay.”
Everyone looked at him.
“What?”
“It should be hers.”
Vivian felt tears sting her eyes.
Zachary continued.
“If Grandpa wrote eldest grandchild, and she’s older, then it’s hers.”
Donald stared at him.
“You understand that those shares are worth hundreds of millions of dollars?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re just giving them away?”
Zachary looked uncomfortable.
“They were never mine if she existed first.”
Vivian reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
He pulled away slightly, embarrassed.
“Mom.”
She smiled.
“Sorry.”
Malcolm cleared his throat.
“There is one problem.”
Vivian looked at him.
“Charles found Sofia first.”
Silence.
“He contacted her?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“We don’t know.”
Donald stood abruptly.
“He said nothing about knowing where she was.”
“Because he was using her.”
Vivian felt fear return.
Charles did not need Zachary’s shares.
He needed the legal heir.
If Sofia signed voting authority to him, he could take control of the trust.
Vivian asked, “Does she know who Donald is?”
“We don’t know.”
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Vivian answered.
A young woman spoke.
“Is this Vivian Alston?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Sofia Marquez.”
Everyone in the room froze.
Sofia’s voice trembled.
“I was told you could help me.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
Vivian stood.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m in a house somewhere outside Sacramento.”
Donald moved toward the phone.
Vivian raised a hand.
“Are you being held there?”
“I was invited.”
“By Charles Wexler?”
Silence.
Then Sofia whispered, “Yes.”
“Can you leave?”
“I don’t think so.”
Vivian’s heart pounded.
“Why?”
“Because the men downstairs took my phone.”
Vivian looked at Malcolm.
He was already signaling someone to trace the call.
Sofia continued quickly.
“I found another phone in a bathroom cabinet. Charles told me my grandfather left me something. He said your family stole it.”
“He lied.”
“I thought so.”
“What does he want you to sign?”
“Proxy documents.”
“Don’t sign anything.”
“I didn’t.”
A sound came through the line.
A door.
Sofia inhaled sharply.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Sofia, listen to me. Keep the phone hidden. We’re finding you.”
The call ended.
Donald stared at Vivian.
His face had gone pale.
“That’s my daughter.”
Vivian nodded.
For once Donald did not make a joke.
He sat down and covered his face.
Law enforcement traced the call to a rural property near Auburn.
By evening, officers surrounded the house.
Charles was gone.
Sofia was found locked in an upstairs bedroom.
Two armed men were arrested.
The moment Donald saw her at the sheriff’s station, he stopped walking.
Sofia stared back.
Neither seemed to know what to do.
Vivian watched from several feet away.
Donald finally said, “I’m sorry.”
Sofia’s eyes filled.
“You believed I died?”
“Yes.”
“My mother never told me about you.”
Donald swallowed.
“She told me she lost you.”
Sofia looked away.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
Donald’s voice broke.
“You don’t owe me a relationship.”
That seemed to surprise her.
He continued.
“But if you ever want one, I’ll be here.”
Sofia nodded slowly.
Zachary approached next.
“I’m Zach.”
“I know.”
He smiled awkwardly.
“Apparently I almost accidentally inherited your company.”
Sofia laughed.
It was the first normal sound Vivian had heard in days.
“I don’t want a company.”
Zachary brightened.
“Great. Neither do I.”
Vivian shook her head.
“You two are incredibly helpful.”
Sofia laughed again.
For several minutes, the nightmare receded.
Then Malcolm entered.
His expression destroyed the moment.
“What happened?”
He held up his phone.
“Charles released the files.”
Vivian’s stomach dropped.
“What files?”
“All of them.”
Project Monarch.
Financial transfers.
Internal Crestview records.
Barry’s affair.
The insurance policy.
Edited recordings designed to make Vivian appear mentally unstable.
Everything had been sent to major news outlets.
Crestview stock began falling in after-hours trading.
Within thirty minutes, billions of dollars in company value disappeared.
Charles had failed to steal the trust.
So he had moved to the next part of his plan.
Destroy the company from the outside.
Vivian looked at Zachary.
Then Sofia.
Then Donald.
She had spent days reacting to Charles.
No more.
“Call the board.”
Malcolm frowned.
“It’s almost midnight.”
“Then wake them.”
“What are you going to do?”
Vivian looked at the collapsing stock price on his phone.
“What I should have done years ago.”
May you like
She picked up her coat.
“I’m taking my company back.”
