Chapter 16 - Poison in the Champagne
The revelation hit the room like a physical blow. Uncle Marcus had been an almost mythical figure in the Bennett lore—the eccentric, reclusive patriarch who supposedly lived in seclusion near Lake Geneva, sending expensive porcelain figurines on birthdays and telegraphing his votes for annual shareholder meetings.
"Why would Marcus want Lily?" Claire demanded, clutching the baby closer.
"Because the offshore accounts don't vest in Daniel's name," Evelyn revealed, looking up with hollow, haunted eyes. "Arthur’s original will contained a bloodline contingency clause. If Daniel was proven not to be Arthur’s biological issue, the entire six-hundred-million-dollar trust automatically reverts to Arthur’s direct blood heir. Marcus. But under the new revision filed last month..."
Evelyn choked back a sob, pressing a lace handkerchief to her trembling lips.
"Under the revision, if Daniel dies before thirty-five without biological issue, Marcus inherits. But if Daniel has a biological daughter who survives him, the entire estate is locked in an irrevocable guardianship until she turns twenty-one."
"Marcus doesn't want to kill Daniel," Miller realized aloud, scribbling furiously on his notepad. "He wants to take the child. A living ward under his legal control gives him unilateral access to every clearing account in Europe without triggering a federal probate freeze."
Suddenly, Evelyn’s eyes rolled back. Her throat produced a strangled, gasping sound as she seized violently in the chair, her fingers clawing at her neck.
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"Medic!" Miller shouted, lunging forward.
On the small tea table beside her chair sat the untouched glass of vintage champagne Evelyn had carried up from the drawing room an hour before. A delicate crystalline powder had settled at the bottom of the flute, fizzing faintly beneath the gold bubbles.
