Chapter 6 - The Mother-in-Law’s Ledger
Rain drummed against the roof of the town car, creating a steady, suffocating rhythm that matched the ticking of my own pulse. Outside the open window, Eleanor Prescott shrank back slightly from the chill, her posture rigid as she processed my question.
For a woman who had spent four years reminding me of my place, the realization that her own complicity was transparent felt far more terrifying than any cold rain.
"You're imagining things, Alyssa," Eleanor said, her voice tightening as she tried to force a thin, defensive shell of authority back over her shoulders. "Aaron is under immense pressure. Marcus is simply protecting the corporate interests of the firm. I flew out because this family is falling apart, not because of some absurd conspiracy."
"A conspiracy implies secrecy, Eleanor. This was just sloppy corporate greed," I replied, keeping my voice low and level. "You helped orchestrate the seed round dilution two years ago. You advised Aaron to slide those amendments across the kitchen island while I was distracted by my father’s health. And you thought that by bringing Jasmine into the fold, you’d finally have a daughter-in-law who wouldn't ask questions about where the capital goes."
Eleanor’s eyes flickered, the brief flash of panic giving way to a bitter, hardened resentment. She gripped the car door frame tighter, her manicured fingers pressing into the damp metal.
"And if we did?" she hissed, dropping the polite facade entirely. "Do you have any idea what it’s like living in your family’s shadow, Alyssa? Every single milestone Prescott Technologies achieved, your father’s friends whispered that it was just a handout. Aaron wanted a partner who looked like she belonged in the background, not a benefactor who owned the roof over his head and the plane he flew in on."
"So you decided to steal my equity instead," I said.
"We didn't steal anything. We restructured it so he could breathe," Eleanor snapped, her voice rising above the hum of the rain. "And now look at you. You’ve locked the servers, frozen the international accounts, and brought a four-billion-dollar enterprise to its knees just because your husband preferred another woman's company on a flight to Geneva. You’ve always used your money as a leash, Alyssa. This was the only way he could ever truly be free of you."
"Freedom doesn't look like a federal investigation for asset diversion, Eleanor," I said, leaning forward so she could see the absolute calm in my eyes. "And it certainly doesn't look like a prison sentence for wire fraud. Marcus Vance may be a brilliant restructuring attorney, but he didn't sign the authorization forms for Alpine Ventures. Aaron did."
The words hit her like a physical blow. The defiance drained out of her face, leaving her looking small, frail, and suddenly very old against the dark backdrop of the gate.
"You wouldn't," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He's your husband."
"He was my partner," I corrected softly. "Now, he’s a liability. If you want to save him from Marcus Vance’s legal trap, I suggest you tell me exactly where Vance is keeping the physical copies of the original partnership amendments from two years ago."
Eleanor stared at me through the rain, her breath catching in her throat. She looked down at the heavy leather briefcase clutched in her hand, then back up at me.
Slowly, deliberately, she unzipped the top flap of the case, pulled out a thick, unsealed folder stamped with my family trust’s private crest, and pushed it through the car window onto my lap.
"They're in the safe at the downtown office," she said quietly. "And Marcus has a copy heading to the Swiss syndicate tonight to force a buyout."
I picked up the folder, flipped open the cover, and saw the original signatures—unaltered, uncompromised, and fully exposing the fraudulent clauses Aaron had slipped past me.
"Thank you, Eleanor," I said, and tapped the window control to close it.
May you like
As the glass slid upward, sealing her out in the cold rain, I picked up my phone and dialed Daniel.
"Prepare the board of directors," I told him as Leo shifted the car into drive. "We’re having an emergency meeting at sunrise. And bring the corporate compliance team; we’re cleaning house from the top down."
