Chapter 2 - The First Star
I had less than eight hours to save the business I had built from nothing.
My eyes fell to the antique gold bracelet resting heavily on my wrist.
I gently ran my thumb over the hidden engraving that read First Star.
First Star was not just a sweet, meaningless phrase from my late grandmother.
It was the exact name of the secret offshore holding company she had established for me before she passed away.
I left the restaurant and drove straight to the private wealth management bank downtown.
I sat in the velvet lobby until the massive glass doors opened at dawn.
The bank manager escorted me into a secure vault and pulled my grandmother's sealed file.
She had left me a massive emergency fund designed to protect me from financial ruin.
The manager smiled and handed me a thick stack of withdrawal papers.
I quickly signed the documents, transferring enough money to completely pay off Gavin's fraudulent mortgage.
I felt a surge of triumph, knowing my restaurant was finally safe from their greedy hands.
The manager carefully reviewed my signatures and let out a heavy sigh.
He slid the documents back across the marble table toward me.
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He informed me that the funds could not be released without a second signature from the living executor of the estate.
The legally appointed executor of the First Star trust was my father.
