CHAPTER 7 — My Father Had Built His Life With My Money
Forty-eight million dollars.
The number felt unreal.
I had skipped meals.
I had washed my clothes in a bathtub when the laundromat raised its prices.
I had once walked to class with duct tape around my shoe because I couldn’t afford another pair.
Meanwhile, my father had managed a trust worth millions in my name.
Daniel examined the financial records.
“This account was worth twelve million when Emily was an infant.”
Professor Hughes frowned.
“How did it become forty-eight million?”
“Investments,” Sarah said. “My father owned medical technology patents.”
Daniel clicked through years of transactions.
“Some legitimate growth. But there are also withdrawals.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Hundreds.”
The withdrawals paid for my parents’ home.
Ethan’s private school.
Luxury vacations.
Cars.
Country club memberships.
Even the company my father claimed he had built from nothing.
Bennett Clinical Systems had been created with three million dollars taken from my trust.
My chest tightened.
“He used my inheritance to build his business?”
Daniel nodded.
“And according to these documents, full control should have transferred to you on your twenty-first birthday.”
“That was six months ago.”
“Yes.”
“But I never signed anything.”
“Someone signed for you.”
He displayed a scanned authorization form.
The signature looked like mine.
It wasn’t.
Sarah leaned closer.
“Who notarized it?”
Daniel read the name.
“Michael Grant.”
Professor Hughes knew it immediately.
“Dean Grant?”
Daniel looked at her.
“The associate dean of research?”
She nodded.
My father’s friend.
The man Ethan said could change timestamps.
The office door opened suddenly.
A campus officer entered.
“Daniel, you need to see this.”
He handed over a printed email.
Dean Michael Grant had resigned ten minutes earlier.
The email claimed he was leaving for personal reasons.
Daniel pulled out his phone.
“Find him.”
The officer shook his head.
“We already tried.”
“And?”
“His office is empty.”
“What about his house?”
“Neighbors saw him loading suitcases into his car an hour ago.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“He knew this was coming.”
Sarah studied the financial page.
Then she pointed to a recent transfer.
May you like
Two million dollars had been moved from my trust that morning.
The recipient account belonged to Michael Grant.
