Chapter 4 - The Counter-Offensive
The Harrison mansion was in a state of siege. Paparazzi and reporters surrounded the gates. Inside, the golden walls felt like a prison.
"We need to buy her off!" Eleanor paced the living room, her hands shaking so badly she spilled her tea onto the Persian rug. "Arthur, use the trust fund. Offer Sarah five million... ten million! Tell her we’ll cut Chloe out of the estate if she drops the charges!"
"Shut up, Eleanor!" Arthur roared from behind his desk. He looked ten years older. His legal team had just informed him that the district attorney was elevating the charges to attempted manslaughter. "She’s not taking money. Julian Vance is backing her. Her husband’s firm just secured a massive contract with Vance Industries. They don’t need our money anymore."
Chloe sat on the sofa, scrolling through her social media. Every single one of her brand sponsorships had dropped her. Her comment sections were flooded with emojis of snakes and stairs. "Mom, my life is over. People are protesting outside my apartment. They threw red paint on my car!"
"You think your life is over?" Arthur slammed his fist on the desk. "If I go to prison, the bank forecloses on this house. We are ruined."
The doorbell rang, echoing loudly through the tense house. A maid brought in a legal envelope. Eleanor grabbed it, tearing it open. Her eyes widened in horror.
"It’s a subpoena," Eleanor whispered. "For me and Chloe. As co-conspirators for corporate fraud and obstruction of justice. Sarah's lawyers found the offshore accounts we used to hide assets during her IVF treatments to deny her insurance coverage."
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It turned out, the "insurance denials in a blue folder" Sarah had suffered through weren't random. Eleanor and Chloe had manipulated the family's corporate health policy to intentionally exclude fertility treatments for Sarah, hoping she would never have a child to inherit a share of the family fortune.
The trap was closing.
