Chapter 9 - THE ORIGINAL PAPERS
Grace’s grandmother, Eleanor, had never trusted Ethan.
She was polite to him.
She invited him to family dinners.
But two months before her death, she amended the Northcrest trust.
Grace had inherited full beneficial ownership.
Ethan could manage daily operations only while married to Grace and only with her written consent.
He could never sell, mortgage, or inherit Northcrest through marriage.
If Grace died while Lily was a minor, ownership would pass into a protected trust for the child.
Ethan would have no control.
The original papers were stored in Margaret’s vault.
The copies inside Northcrest’s office had been replaced.
Ethan’s forged version named him surviving owner.
Sabrina had witnessed it.
The bribed county clerk had recorded it.
Margaret compared the documents line by line.
The forged deed used a notary stamp belonging to a man who had died eight months earlier.
The paper had been printed two days after the storm but backdated by six weeks.
Ethan’s plan depended on Grace and Lily both being dead.
If Grace died but Lily survived, the child’s trust would take control.
If Lily died but Grace survived, Grace remained owner.
He needed both gone.
Grace felt physically ill when Margaret explained it.
The storm was not only an attempt to frighten her into signing.
The forged death certificate showed what came next.
Ethan intended to erase mother and daughter together.
Detective Reed obtained warrants for financial accounts, digital devices, and county records.
But he did not arrest Ethan yet.
A larger conspiracy was emerging.
Sabrina had transferred stolen Northcrest funds to an attorney named Victor Hale.
Hale was preparing to sell part of the estate immediately after the wedding.
The buyer was a development company that intended to demolish the guest cabins and build luxury condominiums.
The agreement would pay Ethan and Sabrina nearly $18 million.
Closing was scheduled for the morning after the ceremony.
Grace looked at Margaret.
“They’re getting married before the sale so she can claim spousal protection.”
Margaret nodded.
“And because they believe no one can challenge them once the property changes hands.”
Grace placed one hand on Lily’s sleeping chest.
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“Then we go back before they say ‘I do.’”
👉 Grace’s return would stop the wedding, but Detective Reed warned that Ethan might have another weapon waiting inside Northcrest.
