CHAPTER 6: A Lie Dressed as a Prenup

Serena snapped her fingers once, and a security guard moved forward from the revolving doors.
He stopped when Mara opened the leather folder under her arm.
'Before anyone touches me or my children,' Mara said, 'you should know that this building, including its security contract, is under provisional review by the Blackwood Family Trust.'
Adrian stood. 'What review?'
Mara pulled out the first page. 'The one triggered when your legal team tried to activate my death clause without proof of death.'
The words emptied the lobby of sound.
Serena's eyes moved once toward the elevators. Adrian saw it. The calculation. The tiny betrayal of fear.
Mara continued, her voice steady. 'Someone filed documents stating I was presumed dead, emotionally unstable before disappearance, and therefore unfit to hold my trust shares if located.'
Noah held his dinosaur tighter.
Adrian turned toward Serena. 'Who filed that?'
Mara answered before Serena could. 'Your fiancee's attorney, using your mother's signature.'