Chapter 7
The senior corporate attorney stepped forward, placing the heavy leather portfolio onto the polished mahogany table with a definitive thud that echoed like a gavel in a courtroom. "Allow me to read the primary amendment ratified by the federal probate court this very morning," the attorney announced, his tone entirely devoid of emotion. Every single asset, from this sprawling Manhattan penthouse to the international shipping conglomerates and overseas bank accounts, belonged legally and exclusively to the abused matriarch sitting quietly at the table. Eleanor had spent three decades acting as the grand mistress of a house where she was legally nothing more than a temporary guest living on borrowed time and stolen grace.
As the legal terms were read aloud, detailing the precise manner in which Eleanor had falsified documents to seize control of the estate, the socialite's knees buckled slightly. She grabbed onto the back of a velvet dining chair for support, her expertly styled updo coming completely unraveled as a few strands of dyed hair fell across her pale forehead. The reality of her impending federal indictment for fraud and embezzlement hung heavily in the air, transforming her luxurious sanctuary into a terrifying cage. She looked around the room for an ally, but everyone—including Thomas—met her desperate gaze with cold, unforgiving silence.
