Chapter 6: The Ghost in the Ledgers
By Tuesday morning, Marcus Cole’s forensic team had unsealed the financial trail of the Miller family.
The evidence was overwhelming:
* **The Medical Embezzlement:** James had diverted $180,000 from Sarah’s pre-existing health insurance payouts into a personal investment account in the Bahamas.
* **The Forged Surrender:** Eleanor Miller had paid a corrupt notary in Beaufort $5,000 to backdate the parental termination filings.
* **The Corporate Fraud:** James had pledged Claire’s foundation assets as collateral for a $1.2 million commercial loan to cover his luxury car leases and private club memberships.
Claire sat at her mahogany desk, reviewing the spreadsheets line by line.
Sophie sat on the Persian rug beside her, carefully coloring a picture of a sea turtle with colored pencils, while Toby was fast asleep with his head resting against Claire’s feet.
""Claire, James’s defense attorneys are calling every twenty minutes,"" Marcus reported, looking at his phone. ""They are offering a total waiver of all paternity rights and an NDA in exchange for you withholding this forensic audit from the federal prosecutor.""
Claire looked down at Toby’s peaceful face.
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""Tell them no deal, Marcus,"" Claire said with absolute clarity. ""Sarah died in a hospice ward because she couldn't afford experimental immunotherapy while James was buying champagne at my father's club. There will be no NDAs. There will be no quiet settlements. Every single dollar he stole will be returned to a trust for these children, and he will answer to a jury.""
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