Chapter 8 - The Invitation He Mistook for Surrender
The following morning, Grant filed an emergency petition claiming Elena was suffering from severe emotional instability.
He attached statements signed by Sloane, two household employees and a private physician who had never examined Elena alone.
Julian answered with clinic records, photographs of the damaged phone and security footage showing Grant blocking the estate door.
The court declined to grant Grant immediate authority.
It scheduled a hearing after the anniversary dinner.
Grant responded by calling Elena.
Ava placed the phone on speaker while Julian started the recorder.
Grant’s voice sounded gentle.
“Elena, come home.”
“No.”
“Ava is turning this into a war.”
“You changed the locks.”
“To stop you from driving while distressed.”
“You tried to take my shares.”
“I tried to protect our future.”
Elena looked at Julian. He motioned for her to continue.
“Cancel the medical petition.”
“Sign the proxy.”
There it was.
The coercion was direct, but Grant quickly corrected himself.
“Not because I want control,” he added. “Because the board needs stability.”
Elena remained silent.
Grant mistook it for hesitation.
“Attend the anniversary dinner. We will present a united front. After the toast, you sign the transfer and everything returns to normal.”
Nothing had been normal for years.
Elena forced her voice to soften.
“And if I agree?”
“I withdraw the petition.”
“Put that in writing.”
Grant laughed quietly.
“You have been spending too much time with Julian.”
“Do we have an agreement?”
“Come to the dinner. We will discuss it there.”
The call ended.
Julian saved the recording.
“It helps,” he said. “But he avoided a complete confession.”
Ava stood near the window.
“He will speak more freely when he thinks she has surrendered.”
Elena looked at the anniversary invitation.
The dinner would take place in a room filled with Grant’s friends, Hartwell executives and investors aligned with Victor.
Grant intended to use the audience to humiliate her into compliance.
Elena intended to use the same audience to expose him.
She sent him a message.
I will attend. Prepare the papers.
Grant replied within seconds.
I knew you would make the right decision.
At the estate, Marissa returned alone.
She told Sloane that Ava had threatened her with criminal charges and that Elena had refused to protect her.
Sloane accepted the story because it matched what she wanted to believe.
Grant was more suspicious.
He questioned Marissa for nearly an hour, searching her bag and checking her phone.
The recorder was hidden inside the lining of her coat.
That evening, Sloane took Marissa into the study.
“You almost ruined everything,” she whispered.
“I panicked.”
“Grant says we still receive our positions after the merger.”
“Do you believe him?”
Sloane closed the door.
“I have a contract.”
“From Larkspur.”
“It is guaranteed by Victor.”
Marissa looked toward the map covering the wall safe.
“Have you met Victor privately?”
“Once.”
“What did he say?”
“That Elena was never supposed to inherit the voting shares.”
Marissa’s heart began to pound.
“Why?”
“Because Richard changed his will three days before he died.”
Marissa struggled to keep her expression neutral.
“Grant never told me that.”
“Grant does not know everything.”
Sloane walked to the safe and entered the combination.
Inside were contracts, ledgers and a stack of sealed envelopes.
Marissa stood behind her, allowing the recorder to capture the sound.
Sloane removed a document.
“Victor believes the original will gave him control of the company.”
“Then why did Richard change it?”
“No one knows.”
Marissa glanced at the safe.
One envelope carried Elena’s name.
Another carried Ava’s.
A third bore the initials E.H.
“Who is E.H.?” she asked.
Sloane immediately closed the safe.
“That has nothing to do with us.”
She handed Marissa the Larkspur contract.
“Sign the new confidentiality agreement before the dinner.”
Marissa read the first paragraph.
The agreement required her to accept full responsibility for all actions taken at the estate. Grant and Victor were specifically released from liability.
Ava had been right.
They were preparing to blame the sisters.
Marissa looked at Sloane.
“This makes us responsible for everything.”
“It protects the family.”
“It protects Grant.”
Sloane lowered her voice.
“He is our brother.”
“He is sacrificing us.”
Sloane slapped the contract onto the desk.
“Sign it.”
Marissa uncapped the pen.
Instead of signing, she pressed the emergency button hidden inside her coat.
May you like
Across the city, Ava’s phone displayed one message.
She found the safe.
