Chapter 13 - Lianna's Confession
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Corbin felt a sick feeling rising in his throat.
“When he was in the ICU,” Lianna continued, her voice cracking, “Mr. Sterling showed up with a team of lawyers. They told me if I made a fuss or asked for an independent autopsy, they would tie the case up in court for ten years, and I wouldn't receive a single penny for Ethan’s medical bills.”
“They preyed on your fear,” Corbin said, his voice tight with rage.
“I was twenty-two,” she whispered. “I was terrified. So I signed their papers. But after Ethan passed away, I found his personal blue folder hidden in his workbench at home. He had photocopied the original concrete delivery receipts, his private log entries, and the emails from Marcus Stanford explicitly ordering him to stay quiet.”
Corbin opened the blue envelope.
Inside were dozens of handwritten pages, crisp photographs of crumbling concrete test samples, and printed email threads bearing the official Stanford Development corporate header.
Corbin scanned the emails. His uncle Marcus’s signature was clearly stamped at the bottom of a message sent four years ago: 'Approve the foundation pour, Prescott, or you won't have a job in this state by Monday.'
Corbin closed the folder.
“Why didn't you go to the police when you found this?” Corbin asked softly.
“Because Richard Sterling watched me like a hawk,” Lianna said bitterly. “Every time I tried to look for a lawyer, someone would call my landlord, or my electricity would get cut off. Seven months ago, when I saw the posting for a housekeeper at your estate, I took it. I wanted to see if you were like them. I wanted to find out if the man running the company knew what his family had done.”
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“And what did you find?” Corbin asked.
Lianna looked at him softly. “I found a man who didn't even notice the housekeeper sweeping his floors.”
