Chapter 16 - Midnight Alliances
The legal clock was ticking relentlessly. We hired Diane Morales, a premier family law attorney known for dismantling aggressive corporate trusts. Over the next thirty-six hours, our dining room table transformed into a war room covered in bank statements, probate archives, and decades-old notarized deeds.
It was 2:00 AM when I found the anomaly.
I was cross-referencing Thomas Miller’s old accounting ledgers with the Vance Trust’s public filings. Something didn't add up. Evelyn Vance had indeed authorized the two hundred and fifty thousand dollar disbursement in 2002, but the receipt had not been processed through the official trust accounts. It had been routed through a shell company named *Aegis Holdings*.
"James, come look at this," I called out, rubbing my burning eyes.
James hurried over from the coffee machine, setting down two steaming mugs. He leaned over my shoulder, his chin brushing my hair.
"Aegis Holdings..." James whispered, squinting at the tax ID. "Wait. That name... Richard Sterling, the lawyer who showed up on our porch. His legal firm is Sterling & Sterling, but his personal investment firm—the one listed on his business card—is *Aegis Advisory Group*."
A cold thrill raced down my spine. "The lawyer didn't represent Evelyn Vance’s wishes. He stole the money with Thomas twenty-two years ago, split it, and now that Victoria Vance is auditing the estate, Sterling needs to manufacture a legal claim to cover the missing quarter-million dollars before Victoria realizes he embezzled it!"
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James looked at me, awe and fierce hope burning in his eyes. "You brilliant, magnificent woman."
"Don't flatter me yet," I said, grabbing my phone. "Call Diane. We're not just defending Emma tomorrow. We're going on the attack."
