Part 4
The silence that followed the recording was heavier than any physical weight.
My father took a step toward the stage, his voice barely a whisper. “Myra... is this... is this really what your grandmother left?”
“It’s exactly what she left, Dad,” I said, my tone devoid of any warmth. “While you were busy attending charity galas and signing over executive power to your wife, Grandma was fighting to protect the actual bloodline of this family.”
Patricia realized the tide had completely turned.
She tried to adopt a look of righteous indignation, smoothing down her designer dress, though her hands were still shaking uncontrollably.
“Even if Grace wrote that, it means nothing legally!” Patricia hissed, trying to project her voice across the room. “A senile old woman’s rambling tape cannot overturn a corporate structure! The Anderson Group is under my management, signed by the board of directors. You have no authority here, Myra!”
Right on cue, the double doors at the back of the ballroom swung open.
The heavy sound of footsteps drew every eye away from the stage.
An elderly man in a sharp, tailored charcoal suit walked into the room, flanked by two younger associates carrying leather briefcases.
It was Theodore Whitman, the senior legal partner who had managed the Anderson family assets for over forty years—the very man Patricia claimed had retired and cut contact with the family.
Patricia’s jaw dropped. “Theodore? You... you’re supposed to be in Europe.”
“I was in Europe, Patricia, ensuring that the international accounts you compromised were properly frozen,” Mr. Whitman said, his voice carrying the immense weight of legal authority.
He walked down the center aisle, the crowd parting for him like the Red Sea.
He stopped right at the base of the stage, looking up at Patricia with absolute disdain.
“As of four o'clock this afternoon,” Mr. Whitman announced, turning to face the entire room, “the state supreme court has validated the primary will of Grace Anderson. Furthermore, a temporary restraining order has been issued against Patricia Anderson, freezing all her corporate access and personal accounts pending a criminal investigation into grand larceny and elder abuse.”
A collective murmur broke out, louder and more chaotic than before.
Jenna practically gasped out loud into her phone microphone, “Oh my god, guys, she’s getting ruined live!”
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Patricia stumbled backward, her heel catching on the edge of the stage carpet.
She had to grab the side of a decorative floral arrangement just to keep from collapsing to the floor.
