“I have a family,” Vale whispered into his palms. “My daughters.”

“Emily has daughters too,” Richard said. “Daughters you tried to leave penniless.”

“I can help you,” Vale said, looking up suddenly, his eyes wide.

“How?” Nora asked, her fingers hovering over her keyboard.

“Margaret has the original trust agreement,” Vale said. “The one your husband signed before he died.”

I felt my breath catch in my throat at the mention of my late husband.

“The one she claimed was lost?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“It wasn’t lost,” Vale said. “She forced me to draft a fake one.”

“The original document explicitly protects your daughters’ shares from any third-party withdrawals,” Vale said.

“If you have that document, Margaret’s defense collapses completely,” Nora said.

“I know where she keeps it,” Vale said.

“But she has the house in Greenwich locked down,” Vale added. “Security is everywhere.”

Richard looked at Nora, and a silent communication passed between them.

Nora leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk.

“Here is how this is going to go, Thomas,” Nora said, her voice steady and calm.