Chapter 6 - The Unearthing of the Trust
A week later, inside Nathan’s spacious private study at the Cascade Ridge Estate, a high-stakes legal strategy session was underway.
Bernard Holt—Seattle’s most formidable family law attorney and a close personal friend of Nathan’s—sat at the wide mahogany desk, reviewing a stack of thick legal files, bank records, and property deeds.
Sarah, still recovering from her injuries, sat in a plush armchair near the fireplace, sipping warm tea while Lily sat on the rug nearby, happily building a lego tower with Owen and Ethan.
“The criminal case against Marcus Kane is rock solid,” Bernard announced, tapping his gold fountain pen against the desk. “The state prosecutor is charging him with three counts of attempted murder, three counts of felony child abuse, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon. Given his prior record, he’s facing forty to sixty years in state prison without the possibility of parole.”
Sarah let out a quiet sigh of relief, leaning her head back against the cushion. “I just want him away from my children, Bernard. I want his name stripped from their birth certificates.”
“We’re already filing for emergency termination of parental rights,” Bernard agreed smoothly. “However, Sarah... there is a secondary issue we must address regarding why Marcus attacked you that night.”
Nathan leaned against the mantle, his eyes narrowing. “The paper Sarah gave Lily mentioned Dad’s trust.”
Bernard pulled a thick, wax-sealed blue folder from his leather briefcase.
“Your father, Arthur Pierce, was a brilliant man, but he was extraordinarily secretive,” Bernard explained. “When he passed away eight years ago, everyone believed his entire estate—including the real estate holdings, stock portfolios, and medical patents—was left solely to Nathan because Nathan was his eldest son.”
Sarah nodded softly. “That’s what Dad told me before he died. He said Nathan earned it because he went to medical school and carried the family name.”
“Arthur lied to you both,” Bernard revealed, opening the blue folder. “Two weeks before he passed away, Arthur executed a secret codicil to his irrevocable living trust. He set aside forty percent of the Pierce Family Holdings—currently valued at twenty-four million dollars—into an offshore educational and inheritance trust specifically for Sarah and her future children.”
Nathan gasped, looking at Sarah in absolute shock. “Twenty-four million dollars?”
“Marcus found out,” Sarah whispered, her hands trembling around her teacup. “Three months ago, he hired a private investigator to look into my dad’s old accounts. He found the codicil in an old safety deposit box in Spokane. He tried to force me to sign a power of attorney transfer so he could liquidate the trust to pay off his gambling debts to a criminal syndicate in Portland.”
Nathan’s jaw set into an iron line. “That’s why he married her. Seven years ago... he already knew about the trust.”
“Exactly,” Bernard nodded grimly. “Marcus Kane didn't love Sarah. He targeted her because he knew she was the daughter of a multi-millionaire, and he spent seven years waiting for the trust to mature on her thirtieth birthday.”
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Nathan stepped over to Sarah’s chair, kneeling beside her, placing his warm, strong hand over hers.
“He won't get a single penny, Sarah,” Nathan declared fiercely. “I am liquidating my own assets tomorrow to hire every top investigator and prosecutor in the country. We are going to strip Marcus Kane of everything he owns, pay off every debt he tried to pin on you, and secure this trust for Lily, Owen, and Ethan forever.”
