CHAPTER 10 — THE LETTER FROM THE DEAD
Adrian brought the sealed letter to Khloe’s home.
It had been stored with the original trust agreement.
The envelope carried her father’s handwriting.
For Khloe. Open only if Richard challenges the trust.
Her hands trembled as she broke the seal.
The letter did not accuse Marcus of being evil.
It warned that Richard had built Thorne Holdings on fraud, bribery, and stolen pension money.
Marcus had been positioned as the public face of the company so that, when the crimes were discovered, the legal responsibility would fall on him.
Khloe’s father created the trust to prevent Richard from transferring complete control to Marcus before the fraudulent accounts could be exposed.
He had intended to tell Khloe everything.
He died in a plane crash before he could.
“My father knew Marcus was being used,” Khloe said.
Adrian nodded.
“Then why did he write that Marcus must never inherit?”
“Because legal control would have made Marcus responsible for crimes he did not commit.”
Marcus read the letter twice.
For years, he had believed his father was preparing him to lead the family empire.
In reality, Richard had been preparing him to take the fall.
Vivian admitted she knew about the financial crimes.
She claimed the car sabotage was meant only to frighten Khloe into leaving the country.
No one believed her.
Isabella, realizing Richard could no longer protect her, requested a plea agreement.
She agreed to provide the phone she had used to communicate with him.
The messages proved Richard had promised her money, a board position, and eventually Marcus.
But Isabella refused to describe the attack as an order.
“No one told me to kick her,” she admitted. “That part was mine.”
Her confession destroyed any remaining sympathy for her.
Still, the phone contained something more valuable.
A video secretly recorded inside Richard’s study.
Richard and Martin discussed “the second attempt.”
Then Richard said, “If the child survives, we remove the mother before she can exercise the shares.”
A woman’s voice responded from outside the camera’s view.
“And Marcus?”
Richard answered without hesitation.
“He will be charged with everything.”
The woman stepped into frame.
It was Vivian.
But she was not alone.
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Behind her stood one of the trustees responsible for protecting Khloe’s shares.
And he was still legally controlling the trust.
