Chapter 53 - Vanessa's Accounting
Vanessa's counsel produced an accounting of the trust expenses she had approved over three years. The entries were maddeningly ordinary: school, property upkeep, medical appointments, transportation, household staff, legal filings.
Adrian had expected to find proof she was draining Leo's assets. The records didn't provide it.
“There are items that need clarification,” Noah said. “But reasonable expenses aren't evidence of misconduct simply because you didn't personally authorize them.”
Vanessa looked tired. “I've signed receipts for winter boots. I'm being discussed like a hostile acquirer.”
Adrian lowered his gaze to the paper. “I owe you an apology for that accusation.”
She didn't smile. “You owe Leo a way of living that doesn't depend on who wins this room.”
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Noah proposed an interim arrangement for essential trust expenditures while the co-trustee dispute proceeded. The attorneys would seek any required court guidance rather than invent a power neither trustee had.
For once, the meeting ended with fewer accusations than it had begun with. I left with an uncomfortable understanding: Vanessa could be ruthless at work and still have been doing the daily care work Adrian avoided.
