Chapter 17 - The Call from Prison
"Clara..." Eleanor's raspy voice came through the speaker, accompanied by the loud background noise of a prison hallway.
"If you're calling to ask for bail money, Eleanor, you're wasting your phone privilege," Clara said coldly.
"I'm not calling about bail, you arrogant fool," Eleanor wheezed, letting out a dark, breathless laugh.
"Check the original deed to the Connecticut estate," Eleanor warned, her voice dripping with sinister satisfaction.
Mark stepped closer to the phone, his brow furrowing with deep anxiety. "Mother, what are you talking about?"
"The house doesn't belong to the Sterling Trust, Mark," Eleanor revealed through the speaker.
"Your father signed the property over to an offshore holding company thirty years ago... named Vanguard Assets."
Clara's stomach twisted into a sharp knot as she remembered seeing that exact name on the adoption papers in the garage.
"Who owns Vanguard Assets, Eleanor?" Clara demanded into the receiver.
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"Ask your own father, Clara," Eleanor whispered right before the line went completely dead with a sharp click.
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