Chapter 2

Several thick documents were spread across the desk.

Wesley gestured for me to sit, then poured me a cup of coffee himself.

"Evelyn, you've been back with us for three months now. I've been thinking about it, and just saying I want to make things up to you isn't enough."

He slid a stack of papers across the desk, his voice warm and reassuring.

"These documents transfer ownership of one of my companies to you. They'll also put you down as the company's president and controlling shareholder.

"Once you sign, it'll be yours.

"That way, no matter what happens to me in the future, you'll always have something of your own."

At that moment, another line of blue text appeared above the documents.

[Beneficiary: Cassidy.

[Purpose: Put Evelyn as the company's legal representative so she takes the fall when a 600 million-dollar tax fraud scandal breaks.]

I stared at the words for a moment, then picked up the pen and clicked it open.

"Dad, you've really thought of everything."

I lowered my head, letting the pen hover over the signature line.

"There are a few things in here I don't really understand. Dad, would you mind if I asked Mr. Sanders about them in private? If I'm going to take over a company, I should probably know what I'm signing."

Wesley paused, then smiled approvingly.

"Of course. I'm glad you're taking this seriously." He turned to Albert. "Walk her through everything. I'm going downstairs to check on lunch."

Wesley left the study and closed the door behind him. That left just Albert and me.

Albert adjusted his glasses and gave me a practiced, professional smile. "What would you like me to explain, Ms. Lynch?"

I didn't look at the paperwork. I looked straight at him.

A line of text was hovering above his head as well.

[Beneficiary: Cassidy.

[Purpose: Help Wesley conceal Cassidy's involvement in the tax fraud and shift the legal liability onto Evelyn.]

I studied the words as I slowly rolled the pen between my fingers.

"Page three, section seven. The part about assuming the company's liabilities. The signature page isn't bound to the rest of the agreement."

I looked up at him.

"Once I sign it, you can swap out the surrounding pages and attach my signature to a different version. One that protects Cassidy and leaves me on the hook for the entire 600 million-dollar tax fraud scheme. Isn't that the plan?"

Albert's face changed instantly. He shot to his feet so fast that he knocked over the coffee beside him, spilling it across the desk.

"Ms. Lynch, I have no idea what you're talking about. Mr. Lynch instructed me to prepare these documents."

His voice was steady, but only barely.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I pulled out my phone and started playing a recording. I had turned on the recorder before I entered the study.

I set the phone on the desk.

"Falsifying documents and helping someone commit tax fraud are both crimes. If I turn these papers and this recording over to federal investigators, how many years do you think you'll get?"

Sweat broke out across Albert's forehead.

"What do you want?"

His voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

"Put Cassidy's name on the paperwork as the person legally responsible for the company and its debts, and redo the agreement so none of the pages can be swapped out later."

I held his gaze.

"Do that, and I'll pretend I never noticed anything and sign like the obedient daughter they expect me to be. Don't, and I'll walk downstairs and call the police."

Albert stared at me.

Just then, Cassidy passed by the glass door of the study. His eyes followed her automatically.

There was something unsettling about the way he looked at her. It wasn't simple concern or affection. It was possessive, almost as if he thought she belonged to him.

His jaw tightened.

After a long moment, he pulled a clean copy of the agreement from his briefcase and began revising it.

This time, Cassidy's name was listed as the person legally responsible for the company's obligations, and the documents were structured so the signed pages couldn't simply be switched out afterward.

When he was finished, he slid the new agreement across the desk.

"Ms. Lynch, sign here."