“It does when the trust explicitly states that any beneficiary who commits acts of moral turpitude or marital abandonment prior to the distribution of funds forfeits their share,” Jerome said.

The room went dead silent.

I watched Scott’s face.

The smug smile slowly began to fade from his lips.

“That’s absurd,” Scott said, his voice rising. “My mother loved me. She wouldn’t write something like that.”

“She did,” Victoria Vance said, looking up from her folder. “She was very old-fashioned, Scott. She insisted on that clause being inserted two years ago.”

Scott looked at Sterling, his eyes wide.

“Richard?” Scott whispered.

Sterling cleared his throat, adjusting his tie.

“Even if such a clause exists, proving abandonment is a high legal bar,” Sterling said. “My client and his wife were experiencing marital difficulties. That is not abandonment.”

“We have more than just difficulties,” Jerome said.

He pulled another stack of papers from his briefcase.

These were the printed text messages Kayla had sent, along with GPS data from Scott’s car.

“We have proof of cohabitation while Mr. Collins was still living in the marital home,” Jerome said.