Chapter 25 - The Puppet Master
"Too late for what?" Julian demanded, his voice trembling with barely suppressed rage. "You committed federal wire fraud and identity theft the moment you stepped onto this property. The sheriff is already on his way."
Evelyn threw her head back and laughed—a harsh, triumphant sound that echoed off the high marble countertops.
"Call Sheriff Reynolds," she sneered, leaning against the kitchen island with casual arrogance. "Tell him to bring his little handcuffs. But before you do that, check your corporate email, Julian. Check what was filed with the Mississippi Chancery Court forty-five minutes ago."
Julian pulled his phone from his trouser pocket, his fingers moving rapidly across the glass. Nora watched his expression shift from fury to sudden, gut-wrenching dread.
"What is it, Julian?" Nora asked, stepping to his side to see the screen.
On the display was an emergency injunction issued by the state probate court, freezing all operational and conservation accounts associated with the Belle Terre Wildlife Sanctuary. Attached to the injunction was a civil claim of stolen assets and illegal inheritance transfer.
The filing attorney representing the estate of Evelyn Vance wasn't a stranger.
The signature at the bottom of the legal brief was bold, sharp, and intimately familiar to Nora:
*Gregory Finch, Esq., representing Sterling Capital Holdings and Arthur Sterling.*
Nora felt as though the floor had dropped out beneath her feet. "Arthur," she whispered, her throat tightening. "My ex-husband."
"Give the lady a gold star," Evelyn purred, admiring her manicured nails. "Did you really think Arthur would slink away into bankruptcy after you two humiliated him in New Orleans? Did you think he’d let you live in his boss's palace while his own assets were liquidated?"
"Arthur was fired for gross embezzlement and corporate espionage," Julian snarled, his knuckles whitening around his phone. "His accounts are frozen by federal authorities."
"His personal accounts, yes," Evelyn said with a wicked grin. "But Arthur is a resourceful man. When he worked for your holding company, Julian, he spent six months auditing Clara’s old family trust documents. He knew Clara had an estranged cousin who spent three years in prison for identity fraud. He tracked me down the very day he was terminated."
She walked toward the dining table, her fingers trailing lazily over the polished wood.
"Arthur supplied Clara’s personal diaries from your old townhouse safe," Evelyn continued smoothly. "He supplied the duplicate locket, made from Clara’s original insurance appraisal photographs. And in exchange, I agreed to file this little challenge to Maisie’s custody."
"You will never touch my daughter," Julian roared, taking a step toward her, his towering frame shaking with fury.
"I don't want the brat, Julian," Evelyn laughed coldly. "Arthur wants your sanctuary land. The six thousand acres of beachfront preserve you refused to sell to his hotel development consortium. Under Mississippi trust law, a pending maternal inheritance challenge freezes the land title for up to twenty-four months. The sanctuary will go bankrupt paying legal defense fees before you ever plant another mangrove."
"You monstrous parasite," Nora said, her voice shaking with disgust.
May you like
"Say what you want, darling," Evelyn sneered, turning toward the front foyer as the distant sound of tires crunched over the shell drive. "That will be Arthur's security convoy. We aren't leaving Belle Terre. We have a court-ordered right of residency until the probate hearing on Monday."
***
