Chapter 3 - A Web of Lies
Kendra shifted uncomfortably in her high heels, adjusting her sunhat as she looked away toward the city skyline view.
"It’s not what it looks like, Naomi!" Kendra blurted out, her voice high-pitched and defensive. "Mom and I structured it that way for tax reasons! I was managing the family property payments on Mom's behalf!"
"Managing payments?" Marcus scoffed, pulling one of the wire transfer records closer to inspect it. "These statements show fifty thousand dollars transferred directly to a yacht chartering company in Miami last summer! Another thirty thousand for a boutique clothing line launch that went bankrupt in two months!"
Naomi looked from the papers up to her mother's cold face. "Mom... I worked sixty-hour weeks at the accounting firm while pregnant. When I got into that terrible car accident last week, I thought I could count on you for support. Instead, you came here to drop off a cat so Kendra could go on a cruise bought with my money?"
Valerie scoffed, raising her chin arrogantly. "You're an accountant, Naomi! You make plenty of money! Kendra is an artist, a creative soul! She needs support to build her brand! You were always the strong one—you don't need a inheritance or a trust fund!"
"It wasn't Kendra's money to take!" Grandfather Arthur interjected, slamming his fist onto the side table. "That monthly trust was set up by my son before he died. It was meant to be split equally between both girls upon his death, managed strictly by Valerie as executor."
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Arthur pointed an accusing finger at Valerie. "Instead, you hid the true terms of the will from Naomi, telling her she was responsible for her father's fake medical debts!"
👉 Read PART 4 to see how Valerie tried to cover up the missing trust fund!
