The words *morality clause* and *forfeiture of assets* stood out in bold black ink.

“Explain it to me,” I said, my voice tight.

“It is quite simple,” Croft said, leaning back and resting his fingertips together. “Your father knew that his actions regarding the surrogate agreement with Claire Bennett were highly irregular.”

“He bought her silence,” I said.

“He compensated her generously for her cooperation,” Croft corrected.

“And he made sure that you would never have a reason to look too closely into the arrangement.”

He tapped a specific paragraph on the page.

“If any beneficiary of this trust challenges the legitimacy of the estate’s formation, or exposes any alleged fraud committed by the founder, the trust immediately dissolves.”

I stared at him, the coldness of his words settling in my chest.

“Dissolves?” I repeated.

“Entirely,” Croft said. “Every share of Whitmore Enterprises, this house, the liquid accounts, the offshore holdings—all of it.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words hang in the air.

“It would all revert to the corporate foundation’s secondary trustees,” he said.