Her diamonds caught the gray light from the harbor outside.

“If I sign this,” Margaret said, her voice muffled by the glass, “Adrian loses everything.”

“Adrian chose to commit fraud, Margaret,” I said.

“He chose to deny his own daughter so he could keep his mistress in a Fifth Avenue penthouse.”

“He made his choice.”

“Now you have to make yours.”

Grace took a heavy silver pen from her pocket and laid it on top of the document.

The paper was titled *Irrevocable Restructuring of the Whitmore Family Trust*.

“This recognizes Lily as the primary beneficiary,” Grace said.

“It strips Adrian of his trusteeship immediately upon his arrest.”

“It transfers thirty-five percent of the voting shares to Vivian, effective at midnight.”

Margaret did not move from the window.

“He is my son,” she said.

“He is a criminal,” I said.

“And if you don’t sign that paper, the press will know you helped him cover up the forgery.”

Margaret turned around slowly.

Her face looked drawn, the lines around her mouth deep and hard.

“I knew nothing about the signature,” she said.