Chapter 3
The black suburban SUV sped through the rain-soaked streets of Manhattan toward Ethan's penthouse on Park Avenue.
Sitting in the backseat, Ethan examined the document again under the dim interior roof light.
The boarding school listed on the contract was St. Jude Manor, located in an isolated region near Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the fine print, the facility specialized in behavioral containment for minor beneficiaries of multi-million-dollar estates.
Ethan felt a surge of ice-cold nausea sweep through his chest as he realized the true motive behind Victoria's betrayal.
Lily was the sole beneficiary of a fifty-million-dollar trust left by her biological mother, Clara, who passed away four years ago.
If Lily was legally declared unfit or placed in a foreign residential facility, full control of the trust defaulted to Clara's estate administrator.
And Victoria had been appointed as the secondary co-trustee of that fund just six months ago during their engagement.
"Daddy, are we still going to have cake today?" Lily asked quietly, looking out the window at the rain falling on Central Park.
Ethan reached across the leather seat, holding her small hand in his with fierce, protective warmth.
"We can have as much cake as you want at home, sweetheart," Ethan promised, forcing a gentle smile onto his face.
When they arrived at the penthouse, Ethan immediately locked the heavy front door and engaged the security alarm.
He walked straight into his home office and dialed the private number of his lead family attorney in Boston.
May you like
"Arthur, I need you to place an emergency freeze on my late wife's trust fund right now," Ethan said without greeting him.
"Victoria just tried to ship my daughter out of the country."
