Chapter 8: The Truth Under Oath
The hearing took place six weeks later.
Grace sat beside me, her sling gone but her wedding ring still hanging from its chain.
Across the aisle, Victoria wore a gray suit and whispered urgently to her attorney.
Daniel placed a tablet on the witness stand.
“This is the original signing video,” he said.
The screen showed me seated beside my father.
Grace stood behind the camera, laughing when I complained about the number of pages.
The recorded version of me lifted his pen.
“Fifty million dollars is excessive for one baby.”
My father smiled.
“Then teach her to use it well.”
“And if anything happens to me?”
“Grace controls the trust until Lily turns thirty.”
“No exceptions?”
“No exceptions.”
On the screen, I signed each page.
Victoria’s attorney lowered his head.
The judge looked over her glasses.
“Ms.
Cross, do you still claim the trust was forged?”
Victoria stood.
“I claim Nathan lacked capacity.”
“He was not injured until two weeks later.”
“His father manipulated him.”
My father’s attorney stepped forward from the gallery.
“I drafted the trust under Nathan’s instructions,” he said.
“He met me alone twice.”
Victoria pointed at Grace.
“She planned this.
She became pregnant to secure his money.”
Grace rose.
“I worked two jobs for four years while the trust remained untouched.”
“You took two hundred thousand dollars.”
“For Lily’s surgery.”
“You signed away your claim.”
“I signed a confidentiality agreement with the title page concealed.
Reid recovered your email giving those exact instructions.”
Reid handed Daniel a printed message.
Victoria’s attorney reached for it, then slowly withdrew his hand.
The judge removed her glasses.
“I am dissolving the freeze immediately.
Grace Mercer will remain trustee, with Daniel Price as independent co-trustee.
No member of Vale Group will control these funds.”
Victoria gripped the edge of the table.
“What about Nathan’s company?”
Conrad stood in the back row.
“The board held a new vote this morning.”
She turned.
“Without me?”
“With the evidence you tried to hide.”
“You owe your position to me.”
Conrad placed his company badge on Daniel’s table.
“I resigned with the members who supported your motion.
Nathan was reinstated.
Then he appointed an independent chair.”
Victoria looked at me.
“You’d forgive him after he voted against you?”
“He admitted what he did in public.”
“And you think that makes him honorable?”
“No.
It makes him accountable.”
Detective Shaw waited outside the courtroom.
When the judge finished, she stepped forward with a court officer.
“Victoria Cross, you have been formally charged with fraud, evidence tampering, theft of trust documents, and ass@ult.
Your passport has been surrendered, and you are barred from contacting Grace or Lily.”
Victoria’s attorney whispered to her.
“No,” she said.
“I won’t accept that agreement.”
“Then we proceed to trial,” Detective Shaw replied.
Victoria looked at me one final time.
“I gave you four years of my life.”
“You stole four years of mine.”
She lifted her chin, but her voice cracked.
“When your memories return, you’ll remember that Grace left you.”
Grace stepped beside me.
“He already knows why.”
The officer led Victoria through the side door.
Her last words followed us across the courtroom.
“You’ll never be the man you were.”
I looked at Grace.
“She may be right.”
Grace touched the ring on its chain.
“The man you were loved us.
The man you are must decide whether he still can.”
May you like
Outside, Lily ran toward me and lifted both arms.
“Are you coming home with us now?”
