Chapter 3: The Truth That Came Out In The Light
The lead security guard, whose name was Mike, walked into the kitchen, his eyes fixing on the shattered phone on the floor, and said, “Ms. Voss, we’re here to protect you and your daughter. What’s going on here?” Liam stepped forward, his face red with anger, and said, “This is a private residence. You don’t have any right to be here. Get out!” But Mike just held up a badge, showing Liam his official security license, and said, “Ms. Voss called our emergency line, and we’re required to respond. You’re under arrest for trespassing and harassment, Mr. Voss. You’re coming with us.” Liam laughed, shaking his head, and said, “You can’t arrest me. I’m the CEO of Voss Timber. I own this company, I own this house, and I own you!” But Mike just shook his head, saying, “You don’t own me, Mr. Voss. Now, put your hands behind your back.”
As the security guards led Liam out of the kitchen, Eleanor walked over to Sarah, her eyes filled with tears, and said, “Sarah, I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was lying to me. I thought you were stealing from the family, but I was wrong. I was so stupid.” Sarah pulled Eleanor into a hug, saying, “It’s okay, Mom. I know you were just trying to protect the family.” But as they hugged, Sarah noticed that Emma was standing in the corner, her eyes wide with fear, and she walked over to her, picking her up and holding her tight. That night, the three of them sat in the living room, drinking hot chocolate, and Eleanor told Sarah the truth about Liam’s plot. She had been working with Clara to seize control of the trust, but he had also been planning to sell Voss Timber’s old-growth forest holdings to a logging company in Canada, a move that would destroy the conservation work Sarah had spent two years building.
Eleanor had found out about the plan two weeks earlier, when she’d found a contract on Liam’s desk, but she’d been too scared to confront him, too scared that he would turn against her too. She had tried to talk to Liam, but he’d refused to listen, calling her “out of touch” and “a relic of the past.” That night, when Liam had cornered Sarah in the kitchen, Eleanor had decided to help Sarah, to tell her the truth about Liam’s plot, but she’d been too scared to speak up until Emma had called the security guards. “I should have trusted you, Sarah,” Eleanor said, her voice breaking. “I let my fear of losing the family’s fortune blind me, and I almost ruined everything.” Sarah hugged Eleanor, saying, “It’s okay, Mom. We’re all here now, and we’re going to fix this.”
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The next morning, the family went to the police station to file a report against Liam, and the security guards seized the contract that Liam had been planning to sign with the Canadian logging company. The board of directors of Voss Timber held an emergency meeting that day, voting to remove Liam as CEO, replacing him with Clara, who’d been working as the company’s CFO for the past year. Clara had known about Liam’s plot for months, but she’d been too scared to speak up, too scared that Liam would fire her if she told anyone. When she found out that Liam had been arrested, she walked into the CEO’s office, calling a meeting of the board, and presented them with evidence of Liam’s embezzlement scheme, which included stealing $2.3 million from the company’s retirement fund to pay off a gambling debt.
Over the next few weeks, the Voss family worked to rebuild the trust, using the money Liam had stolen to expand the conservation project, saving an additional 200 acres of old-growth forest outside of Astoria. Sarah was named the official trustee of the trust, and Eleanor helped her launch a new program to teach local kids about environmental conservation, bringing groups of elementary school students to the forest to learn about wildlife and sustainable logging. The family also started hosting monthly community events at their Portland estate, inviting local residents to come and learn about the conservation work they were doing, to meet the rangers and volunteers who were working to protect the forests. It was the first time the Voss family had been united in years, and Sarah felt a sense of peace she hadn’t felt since she’d married Liam.
