The rain immediately began to spot the white pages, turning them translucent.

“I have the transfer documents right here,” Ethan yelled, waving the papers in the guard’s face. “The deed was signed over to my development company last week.”

The guard didn’t even look at the papers.

“We have a court-ordered temporary restraining order, sir,” the guard said. “You are not permitted on these premises.”

“This is a forgery,” Ethan lied, his voice cracking. “The trust hasn’t executed these changes. I am the executor.”

“If you do not leave immediately, we will call the local sheriff,” the guard said.

The second guard shifted his weight, his hand resting near his belt.

Ethan looked at the guards, then down at the wet papers in his hands.

The ink on his forged signatures was already beginning to bleed into blue smears under the rain.

He knew.

He knew that without access to the safe inside the study, he couldn’t retrieve the original, unrecorded family deed.

He couldn’t destroy the evidence of his fraud.

And he couldn’t use his fake documents to secure the emergency loan he desperately needed to cover his shortfalls.