Chapter 13 - Margaret Loses the Property Deal
An independent review found the proposed sale undervalued the three Hale
properties by nearly 18 percent.
Margaret’s company would have benefited substantially.
That discovery triggered scrutiny from the trust’s counsel and business
partners.
Margaret insisted the valuation difference reflected redevelopment risk.
The matter became a civil dispute rather than the dramatic criminal
conspiracy she accused Laura of inventing.
Laura was comfortable with that.
She did not need every wrong to become a crime.
She needed the truth documented.
The property sale died.
Laura took control of the trust on her thirty-fifth birthday.
Her first decision was not to sell anything.
Her second was to appoint an independent fiduciary adviser so no spouse,
parent, or relative could quietly control the assets again.
Robert Hale had built the trust to protect his daughter.
May you like
Laura realized real protection sometimes meant protecting herself from
people who claimed they knew what was best for her.
