Chapter 7 - Unearthing the Mastermind
Three days later, the news of the Prescott family’s downfall dominated every major newspaper in the country.
PRESCOTT GLOBAL COLLAPSES MIDST HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND EMBEZZLEMENT SCANDAL; VICTORIA AND RICHARD PRESCOTT DENIED BAIL.
Inside the quiet sanctuary of the Sterling Manor, life was slowly rebuilding itself.
Elena was resting on the back patio in a comfortable lounger, wrapped in a warm blanket, watching the afternoon sun filter through the trees. Beside her, little Clara was showing her mother how to draw cherry blossom trees with colored pencils, while baby Mia napped peacefully in a stroller nearby.
Adrian walked out onto the patio, carrying two cups of fresh tea.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked softly, sitting beside Elena and hand-delivering her mug.
"Like I’m living in a dream," Elena smiled, taking a sip. "Every time I open my eyes and see Clara playing, or hear Mia breathing... I’m terrified I’ll wake up back in that gray room."
Adrian reached over, placing his hand over hers, lacing his fingers through hers tightly. "You will never go back there. I’ve bought Blackwood Sanatorium through my holding company. Yesterday morning, I had demolition crews tear the entire facility down to the ground."
Elena looked at him, her dark eyes filled with deep emotion. "Thank you, Adrian."
"There's something else," Adrian said gently. "Our legal team finished auditing the Prescott financial records. We discovered why Victoria’s father was so eager to help her hide you three years ago."
Elena frowned. "Why?"
"It wasn't just about Victoria’s obsession with marrying me," Adrian explained grimly. "Four years ago, right before you disappeared, my late mother’s estate was set to transfer twenty percent of the Sterling shares directly to you upon our marriage."
Elena looked surprised. "To me?"
"My mother loved you, Elena," Adrian revealed softly. "In her original will, she stated that if I ever married a woman who worked in healthcare or dedicated her life to helping others, twenty percent of her personal shares would be gifted to my bride to ensure her financial independence."
Adrian took a deep breath. "Richard Prescott discovered that clause. He knew that if I married you, he and Victoria could never take control of the Sterling board. So they eliminated you to force me into a marriage with Victoria, which would have given them forty percent control of the enterprise."
"It was all about greed," Elena murmured, shaking her head sadly.
"Greed and madness," Adrian agreed. "But yesterday, the judge transferred all frozen Prescott assets into a blind trust for Clara and Mia. Our daughters now own the majority share of Prescott Global."
Clara looked up from her drawing pad, holding up a picture of four people standing hand-in-hand under a bright yellow sun.
"Look, Daddy!" Clara cheered, pointing at the paper. "It's you, me, Mommy, and baby Mia!"
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Adrian looked at the drawing, a genuine, warm laugh escaping his chest—a sound Nanny Maria hadn't heard from him in three long years.
He picked up Clara, hoisting her onto his lap, and wrapped his arm around Elena’s shoulders, pulling his family close under the warm afternoon light.
