Chapter 6 - THE INHERITANCE NO ONE KNEW ABOUT
Adrien had always believed that his daughter's inheritance was simple. She would receive the assets he and Émilie had set aside for her, along with whatever remained of his estate when he died. He had personally approved the trust documents and reviewed them every year.
But the trust Claire had uncovered was different.
It had been created without his knowledge.
It controlled interests in Northbridge Capital Partners.
And its provisions appeared to place extraordinary financial power in the hands of Lila's guardian if Adrien became permanently incapacitated or died.
"Who drafted this?" Adrien asked.
Claire examined the registration.
"A private attorney named Henri Duvall."
"Never heard of him."
"He's retired. His firm dissolved two years ago."
"Who signed on Émilie's behalf?"
Claire hesitated.
"That's the problem."
She placed a photocopy on the table.
The signature resembled Émilie's handwriting.
But the execution date was six months after her reported death.
Adrien stared at it.
"That's impossible."
"Either the document was backdated, the signature was forged, or Émilie was alive when it was signed."
Daniel leaned against the wall.
"We need an independent handwriting examination and the original notarization records."
Adrien looked at the beneficiary clause.
"If I die, who controls Lila's interests?"
Claire turned to the relevant page.
"The designated successor trustee."
"Victor?"
"No."
Adrien frowned.
"Then who?"
Claire met his eyes.
"Gabriel Delacroix."
For a moment, Adrien could not move.
Gabriel.
His physician.
His father's friend.
The man who had signed Émilie's death certificate.
The man who had been paid millions by Victor's investment company.
And now, somehow, the man positioned to control a fortune belonging to Adrien's daughter.
Adrien slowly lowered the papers.
"This was never just about my company."
Claire shook her head.
"No. The financial structure suggests someone was preparing for more than your temporary absence."
Sophie stood near the window, listening.
A thought had been troubling her since the previous night.
"Why would Gabriel need Victor?"
Everyone turned toward her.
She continued.
"If Gabriel controls the trust and Victor controls the company, they each have something the other wants."
Daniel nodded.
"Mutual leverage."
"But that doesn't explain Émilie," Sophie said.
Adrien looked at her.
"Unless she discovered the arrangement."
Claire considered that.
"Or unless she was involved in creating it."
The possibility hung between them.
Adrien felt physically ill.
He wanted to believe his wife had been threatened.
He wanted to believe she had tried to protect him.
But the garage footage suggested she had met with the man who may have interfered with his vehicle.
And the trust suggested that someone had been planning his financial removal for years.
That evening, Dr. Morel arrived with updated medical findings.
The swelling had improved since the brace adjustment, and Adrien's foot remained warm with detectable pulses. His sensory examination showed modest improvement, although the physician cautioned that nerve recovery could take time.
"We'll begin carefully supervised mobility exercises when the orthopedic team confirms the fracture can tolerate them," Morel said.
Adrien looked down at his leg.
"For the first time, I think I might actually get better."
"That's the goal."
"Gabriel told me I'd probably need a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
Morel's expression remained professional.
"I haven't seen evidence that supports such a definitive prognosis."
Adrien looked at Sophie.
Something changed inside him.
He had spent weeks accepting Gabriel's certainty.
Now he understood how dangerous certainty could be when it came from someone with hidden motives.
After Morel left, Sophie brought him dinner.
Adrien managed a few bites.
Then he asked a question she had not expected.
"Why did you stay?"
Sophie looked up.
"What?"
"When everyone else told me to accept what Gabriel said, you kept questioning it. You risked your job. You went against hospital procedures. Why?"
She considered her answer.
"Because you were getting worse, and nobody was giving you a convincing explanation."
"That's all?"
Sophie smiled faintly.
"Isn't that enough?"
Adrien studied her.
For the first time since the accident, he realized how much of his daily life depended on this woman.
She had helped him through humiliating moments without making him feel small.
She had listened when he was angry.
She had encouraged Lila when he was too exhausted to play.
And when she suspected something was wrong, she had refused to look away.
"You saved my life," he said.
Sophie shook her head.
"Dr. Morel and the medical team are treating you. I just noticed something."
"Something everyone else ignored."
She lowered her eyes.
Adrien reached for her hand.
"Thank you."
Before Sophie could respond, Claire called.
Her voice was urgent.
"Adrien, we found Henri Duvall."
"Where?"
"In a retirement community outside Geneva."
"Can he explain the trust?"
"Possibly. But there's something you should know before we speak to him."
Adrien felt his pulse quicken.
"What?"
"Duvall says Émilie came to his office personally."
Adrien gripped the phone.
"When?"
"Eight months after her funeral."
He closed his eyes.
Claire continued.
"And she wasn't alone."
"Who was with her?"
There was a long silence.
Then Claire answered.
"Your father."
Adrien's breath stopped.
May you like
Étienne Valmont had died five years earlier.
END OF CHAPTER 6
