Chapter 5 - The Safe Behind the Painting
The safe was hidden behind an oil painting in Richard's office.
Ethan knew because his father had told him years earlier.
Only three people had ever known the combination.
His father.
Richard.
And Ethan.
But when Ethan entered the office that night, the painting had already been moved.
The safe door stood open.
Empty.
Ethan's pulse quickened.
Someone had gotten there first.
Then he noticed a torn piece of paper on the floor.
He picked it up.
Only three words remained visible.
Cross Trust Agreement.
Ethan immediately called Lily.
“Someone took something from the safe.”
“Do you know what?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“My father's trust agreement.”
Lily went silent.
“Is that important?”
“If it says what I think it says, my company doesn't belong to Richard.”
A pause.
“Then who owns it?”
Ethan looked at the empty safe.
“Someone else.”
The next morning, Ethan's attorney confirmed the worst.
A legal amendment had been filed six months before the accident.
The beneficiary had been changed.
But the amendment was suspicious.
The witness signature belonged to a lawyer who had died two years earlier.
Ethan stared at the document.
“This is forged.”
“Yes.”
“Who filed it?”
“Richard's office.”
Ethan leaned back.
“Then we know where to look.”
But the attorney shook his head.
“There's a bigger problem.”
“What?”
“The original trust is missing.”
Ethan's expression changed.
“If we can't produce the original, Richard can claim the amendment is legitimate.”
Ethan knew exactly what that meant.
His entire company could disappear.
And Vanessa's sudden interest in marriage suddenly made sense.
She hadn't wanted to marry a disabled man.
She wanted to marry a man she believed was about to lose everything.
That evening, Vanessa entered Ethan's bedroom wearing a soft smile.
She sat beside him.
“You've been distant.”
“I'm tired.”
“I've been thinking.”
“About what?”
“Our wedding.”
Ethan looked at her.
“We could postpone it.”
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't want to wait anymore.”
Ethan studied her.
“What changed?”
She touched his engagement ring.
“You need someone beside you now.”
He almost laughed.
Instead, he looked into her eyes.
“Do I?”
Vanessa smiled.
May you like
“You do.”
👉 But Vanessa didn't know Ethan had already discovered the wedding was connected to the same trust she was trying to steal.
