Chapter 5 - THE FAMILY SETTLEMENT
The document waiting in the dining-room credenza was called:
MARLOWE FAMILY HARMONY AGREEMENT.
Mara laughed when she read the title.
“Of course it is.”
Elena was recovering in the hospital.
Doctors had stabilized her.
The bleeding came from irritation and injury aggravated by something in her wine.
The exact substance remained under investigation.
Elena’s first question was not medical.
“What did they want signed?”
Mara placed the document on the bed tray.
The agreement did four things.
Elena would resign as trust protector.
Elena would waive objections to the mansion sale.
Elena would approve Dominic as family representative to the independent trustee.
And Elena would release all claims arising from “historic family separation and reputational disputes.”
Elena stared.
“They wanted everything.”
“Not everything.”
“What did they leave me?”
Mara pointed.
“A payment.”
$2.5 million.
Elena laughed once.
Then winced from the pain.
Dominic’s debt problem was more than seven times that amount.
They were offering Elena a fraction of the liquidity they expected to unlock by removing her.
The notary was supposed to witness her signature.
May you like
The dinner was supposed to corner her emotionally.
The wine changed the category entirely.
