The Inheritance of Aster Hall and the Fall of the Ashford Empire
They were printed on legal bond paper, bearing the logo of the Ashford Group.
Beside them lay an open iPad, its screen glowing softly in the dark room.
I stepped closer, my heart freezing in my chest.
I picked up the papers, my eyes scanning the top page.
It was a draft of a spousal transfer of the Bennett Trust.
The document was designed to hand over all my remaining assets to Harrison.
The signature page had my name on it, signed in a perfect imitation of my handwriting.
At the top of the physical page, a sticky note in Harrison’s handwriting read: *Submit electronically. Finalizes midnight.*
I looked down at the glowing iPad screen.
An online portal for the Bennett Trust was open, showing a pending transaction.
The digital clock in the corner of the screen read ten-fifteen.
A countdown timer on the portal showed exactly one hour and forty-five minutes remaining.
The status of the transfer was marked as *Pending Final Authorization*.
“He has forged my signature,” I whispered, showing the paper to Matteo.
“He is transferring the entire trust tonight.”