Chapter 8 - The Federal Raid
I stared at the wax seal on the envelope, completely unable to process what was happening.
"Evan knew he was going to die?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"He knew he was in extreme danger, Claire," Richard explained softly.
I took the heavy envelope from Clara's hand with trembling fingers.
I broke the wax seal and pulled out a stack of legally notarized documents.
"Evan discovered the real estate fraud your mother and aunt were committing," Clara stated.
"But he also knew Emily was dangerous, so he quietly transferred all of his assets to protect you," she added.
I looked at the top document and gasped in absolute shock.
It was a patent registration for a revolutionary software algorithm Evan had been developing in our garage.
"He sold the exclusive rights to a tech conglomerate the day before he died," Richard revealed.
"The purchase price was one point two billion dollars," he announced clearly.
Emily stopped fighting the FBI agents and stared at me with wide, crazed eyes.
"That money belongs to me!" Emily screamed, foaming at the mouth with pure greed.
"I killed him for it, it is mine!" she wailed like a complete lunatic.
The federal agents dragged Emily out the front door as she continued to scream obscenities into the night.
Patricia and Denise were escorted out right behind her, both women crying in deep shame.
They had destroyed their entire family for a few thousand dollars, completely missing the billion-dollar fortune right under their noses.
I looked at Grandma Margaret, tears streaming down my face in profound disbelief.
"Why didn't Evan just tell me?" I asked, feeling a fresh wave of grief for my brilliant husband.
"He was trying to keep you entirely out of their crosshairs," Grandma explained gently.
"The $180,000 I sent was just bait," Margaret confessed with a small, sad smile.
"I suspected Patricia was stealing from the family trust, so I used that money to smoke them out," she admitted.
She had risked a small fortune to expose the monsters hiding within our own family.
"The federal authorities have already frozen Emily's offshore accounts," Clara noted, checking her tablet.
"Your $180,000 will be returned to you by tomorrow morning, along with full access to Evan's billion-dollar trust," Richard smiled.
I looked down at Lily, who was miraculously still sleeping through the chaotic aftermath.
We were never going to struggle for a single meal ever again.
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We were safe, we were wealthy, and the people who hurt Evan were going to rot in federal prison.
"Come home with me to Boston, Claire," Grandma Margaret offered warmly.
