Jane stepped forward, her voice trembling.

“Richard, how could you do this? You told me it was for the good of the family.”

“Quiet, Jane,” Richard snapped, though the fire had gone out of his voice.

Mr. Hayes placed the document back into his briefcase and snapped the latches shut.

“The legal implications of this are vast,” Mr. Hayes noted, looking at Nathan.

“We will need to file for an immediate injunction to freeze all of the corporate accounts Richard accessed.”

“Do whatever it takes,” Nathan said.

“And my daughter?” I asked. “Is she legally protected now?”

Mr. Hayes looked at me with a reassuring expression.

“With this document in our possession, her status is unquestionable. She is the rightful heir to the entire Whitmore estate.”

My heart swelled, a mixture of immense relief and lingering exhaustion washing over me.

I thought of Lily, safe at home with the nurse, completely unaware of the storm raging in this room.

She was just a baby, yet her name carried the weight of an empire.

The elevator chimed again.

The heavy metal doors slid open with a soft hiss.