Chapter 4 - THE TRUST
The Thomas Vance Family Trust was created twenty-three years ago. Sebastian’s father believed in rules.
Too many rules. His estate plan divided economic benefits among family but concentrated voting control in descendants deemed capable of long-term stewardship.
One clause referenced health. Not because illness made someone unworthy.
Because Thomas feared a hereditary cardiac condition could shorten life and destabilize leadership. Outdated.
Cruel. Legal enough at the time.
Sebastian had never read the full trust. Eleanor told him his father intended Marcus, the cousin, to lead because Sebastian “needed a quieter life.”
That became family truth. Then Maya got a certified copy from trust counsel.
Clause 14.7: If Sebastian Vance is medically determined not to carry the familial MYBPC3 mutation, his voting eligibility shall be restored upon written certification by two independent cardiologists. I stared.
Restored. Meaning his father had not permanently excluded him.
He built a route back. Sebastian looked sick. “Mom knew.” Likely.
As trustee adviser, yes. Then current control.
Marcus held proxy voting rights because Sebastian was treated as medically ineligible. Eleanor chaired the family council.
Together, they controlled Vance Holdings. If Sebastian proved negative, he could reclaim a major voting block.
Not automatically money. Control.
Then our unborn child. Another clause.
If Sebastian died before certification, a genetically unaffected child could inherit his contingent voting eligibility at age thirty. So my baby mattered. Not now. Later.
Still. Why fake a negative prenatal result if Eleanor wanted to keep Sebastian branch out?
Actually if baby negative, branch could regain. She would want positive perhaps. But private result was negative. She feared St. Matthew's discover maybe test was false negative? Let's rethink motive.
Maybe Eleanor wanted Clara to believe baby negative to keep her calm, but actual sample showed positive? If actual baby carried mutation, perhaps trust would keep control with Marcus. Why hide? She should want official positive on record to preserve control. Unless she feared medical risk and didn't want Clara to terminate pregnancy? No.
Alternative: Trust eligibility depends on absence of mutation; Eleanor falsified test as positive? But prompt says no given. We set outside lab said negative. Could adjust now: The report showing negative may have been from wrong sample because Eleanor wanted them to believe safe medically, while internally she intended separate undisclosed positive result to trust? Complex but interesting.
Let's say Maya found a second confidential test. Foundation secure file contained another report tied to my actual sample.
Positive fetal-risk marker. Not definitive fetal genotype, but suggests inheritance? Prenatal genetic testing of maternal blood can maybe detect paternal mutation via cfDNA if specialized. Let's keep fiction plausible enough.
The public-facing report sent to me said negative. The internal report said “familial variant detected; confirmatory testing recommended.”
Why hide positive from me? Because Eleanor wanted pregnancy to continue.
Would I have terminated? Unknown.
She assumed. Then for trust, a positive heir preserves Marcus control.
So she had motive to know real result but tell me false result. That was chilling.
Then Sebastian said: “She wanted the baby.” Not just grandchild.
An heir who would not threaten current control. Then I stopped him.
“We don’t know what she thought I would do.” Important.
No inventing. Then Maya found email from Eleanor to Leonard.
Subject: CLARA RESULTS. Eleanor: Do not alarm her. She is already anxious.
Leonard: The result needs confirmation. Eleanor: After delivery. There. After delivery.
Then: Trust counsel does not need anything until confirmatory testing. Interesting.
She did not immediately weaponize it with trust. Maybe motive was paternalism, not control.
Then another email: If she knows now, she may make a decision Sebastian never forgives us for. There.
That was about pregnancy choice. Eleanor had hidden medical information because she feared I might consider termination or intervention.
That was not money. That was control of my reproductive decision.
Far worse. Then Sebastian read it.
His hands shook. “She decided what you were allowed to know.”
Yes. Then he said: “I’m going to destroy her.”
“No.” He looked at me.
“We’re going to document what she did.” That was different.
Then a knock at our door. Not police.
May you like
Marcus Vance. The cousin currently holding the voting rights.
He stood outside with a file. And the first thing he said was: “I think Eleanor lied to me too.”
