Chapter 8
Julian stepped back, the color draining slightly from his face as the full weight of Koralie’s words settled over him. He walked over to the edge of the pool, staring down at the still, shimmering water before turning back to face her. The anxious, apologetic look that usually defined his interactions with Koralie's family was gone, replaced by the sharp, analytical focus of a man who suddenly realized he was standing on shifting legal sand.
"If we release this data now, before the wedding, the scandal will be instantaneous," Julian said, his voice dropping to a low, serious register. "The press will hound this estate from dawn until dusk. Your wedding day will become a media circus."
"And if we stay silent, my mother’s legacy is erased, my inheritance is stolen, and I spend the rest of my life playing a prop in Eleanor’s social theater," Koralie replied without hesitation. "I refuse to do it, Julian. I’d rather call off the entire wedding tonight than walk down that aisle and pretend everything is fine."
Julian walked back to her, reaching out to gently take her hand. His touch was warm, steadying. "I'm not asking you to pretend, Koralie. I was wrong to tell you to let it go. I thought I was protecting our peace, but I was just protecting my own comfort. I'm with you. Whatever you want to do with this data, I will back you one hundred percent. But we need to be strategic. If we drop this bomb publicly right now, Eleanor will control the narrative and spin it as a bride's hysterical breakdown."
Koralie nodded slowly, recognizing the tactical wisdom in his words. "You're right. We need to trap her legally before she can spin it. We need to present the evidence to my father and her lawyer in a formal deposition setting before the ceremony begins tomorrow morning."
"Your father’s corporate attorney is Harold Vance—Marcus Vance’s cousin," Julian warned grimly. "If we involve him, Harold will tip off Marcus and Eleanor immediately."
"Then we don't use Harold," a voice interrupted from the doorway of the pavilion.
Koralie and Julian turned sharply. Chloe stood in the entrance, breathless and trembling slightly, having jogged all the way from the main house. She clutched a heavy leather-bound ledger against her chest like a shield.
"Chloe?" Julian asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing out here?"
"I heard what you were saying," Chloe panted, stepping inside and holding out the ledger. "Harold Vance isn't just their corporate attorney. He drafted the fraudulent trust amendment last month. I found his confidential notes in Eleanor’s desk drawer while you were in the master suite, Koralie. He left a paper trail showing he knew the signatures were forged."
May you like
Koralie took the ledger from Chloe’s hands, flipping open the heavy pages to reveal handwritten annotations bearing Harold Vance’s initials alongside notes detailing how to bypass Koralie’s legal objections.
"This isn't just asset manipulation," Koralie whispered, looking up at Julian and Chloe with a fierce, resolute gleam in her eyes. "This is conspiracy to commit fraud. And we have every single piece of it."
