Chapter 10: Unraveling the Ledger
Inside the cabin, the air smelled of burning hickory wood, old paper, and black coffee. Judge Harrison sat at a sturdy oak dining table, flipping methodically through the heavy ledger binder Chloe had carried out of the Saint Jude archives. The pages were yellowed with age, detailing corporate donations, trust funds, and confidential maternity ward admissions dating back thirty years.
"This isn't just a custody dispute," Judge Harrison said, his voice laced with grim realization as he traced a line of signatures with a calloused finger. "Evelyn Sterling has been running an illegal adoption pipeline through Saint Jude Hospital for decades. Wealthy donors pay exorbitant fees to acquire healthy newborns, while the biological mothers—mostly young, vulnerable women—are told their babies died during childbirth."
Chloe sat across from him, sipping a steaming mug of black coffee. "And this baby?"
"This infant is the direct blood heir to the primary Sterling estate," Harrison explained, looking up to meet Clara's tired eyes. "Julian's father had a second family in secret. When he passed away unexpectedly, he left his personal share of the holding company to his unrecognized child. If Evelyn allows this baby to grow up with a legitimate claim, she loses control of the entire corporate empire."
"Julian knew," Clara said quietly, leaning against the stone fireplace. "He tried to warn us. He even sent me the text message that helped us bypass the security blockade."
Harrison stroked his white beard thoughtfully. "Julian is trapped in that dynasty just like his father was. But his conscience is his undoing—or perhaps his redemption. If we can get him to testify deposition-style before a federal magistrate, Evelyn's legal empire crumbles overnight."
"And how do we reach Julian without alerting his mother's security detail?" Thomas asked, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms.
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"We don't go to him," Harrison said, standing up and walking toward an old-fashioned rotary telephone resting on a side table. "We let him come to us. But to do that, we need to leave a digital trail that only he can decipher."
Clara nodded slowly, a fierce determination returning to her features. "What do you need us to do?"
