Chapter 16 - The Trust Sofia Was Never Meant To Control
Six months had passed since Victor Volkov was taken away.
The Volkov estate no longer felt like a fortress.
The guards were still there.
The gates were still there.
But the atmosphere had changed.
People came through those gates carrying medical files, business proposals, foundation applications, and invitations to community events.
The Volkov name was becoming associated with hospitals instead of fear.
Sofia stood at the head of the foundation boardroom, reviewing a financial report.
“We received the final transfer this morning,” the chief financial officer said.
Sofia nodded.
“From which account?”
“The international trust.”
She looked up.
“Which one?”
The CFO hesitated.
“The ancestral trust.”
Sofia's expression tightened.
“That trust isn't supposed to move without Elena's authorization.”
“We have Elena's authorization.”
Sofia looked at the document.
The signature was there.
But something felt wrong.
She turned toward Damian.
He had been sitting quietly at the far end of the table.
“Did you know about this?”
“No.”
The room became silent.
Damian took the document from Sofia.
He examined it.
His face changed.
“This isn't my mother's signature.”
Sofia's heart dropped.
“Then whose is it?”
Nobody answered.
The financial officer looked terrified.
“I assumed the legal department had verified it.”
Damian stood.
“Freeze the transfer.”
“Already done,” Sofia said.
She had acted before anyone else.
The amount was enormous.
Not enough to destroy the Volkov empire.
But enough to expose something far more important.
Someone had found a way into the family trust.
And whoever it was had access to information that only a handful of people possessed.
Sofia looked at the silver falcon cameo resting against her chest.
She had once believed the necklace represented where she came from.
Now she understood.
It also represented what she had inherited.
And inheritance came with responsibility.
She closed the folder.
“No one leaves this room until we know exactly how this happened.”
Damian looked at her.
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
“Then we find out.”
For the first time since Victor's arrest, the Volkov family understood that the greatest threat to their future might not come from outside the gates.
May you like
It might already be sitting at their table.
---
