Chapter 8 - The Father's Warning
|
“Tell me everything, Mr. Shaw,” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet room like a scalpel.
Martin Shaw adjusted his glasses and took a slow breath. “Thomas Mercer was a good man, Hannah, but he made terrible choices in his personal life. By the time he and Vivian separated, she had realized that the only thing she truly cared about was absolute financial security—and she didn't care who she destroyed to get it.”
“What about the trust?”
“Thomas’s father made a fortune selling a regional manufacturing company,” Martin explained. “He set up a trust valued at roughly four million dollars for Adrian. Thomas was the designated trustee. Vivian was explicitly excluded from having any management authority because of her severe gambling debts and reckless spending early in their marriage.”
“Then how did she get her hands on eight hundred thousand dollars of it?” I asked.
“Through Adrian,” Martin answered grimly. “When Adrian turned thirty-five, he gained authority over several key trust distribution accounts. Shortly after Thomas died of his stroke, Vivian convinced Adrian to sign a series of legal instruments—powers of attorney, asset management authorizations, and investment directives.”
“She manipulated him,” I whispered.
“She preyed on his pathetic desire to please her,” Martin corrected sharply. “Adrian handed her the keys to the vault. Over the last seven years, Vivian has been siphoning off the capital, moving it through shell entities to pay off her own private debts and fund her lifestyle.”
“Why didn't you stop her?” I demanded, anger flaring in my chest. “You were Thomas’s lawyer!”
Martin looked deeply pained. “I tried, Hannah. I sent certified letters to Adrian. I tried to visit his office. But Vivian intercepted every communication. And when I finally managed to reach Adrian on his cell phone six years ago, do you know what he told me?”
May you like
“What?”
“He told me to mind my own business and leave his mother alone. He threatened to report me to the state bar for harassment.” Martin shook his head sadly. “Adrian chose to blindly trust his mother’s poison over his father’s legacy.”
