Chapter 5 - MARCUS HAD MORE TO LOSE THAN RICHARD
Marcus was not merely a cruel stepbrother.
He was the future president of Ashford Consolidated.
At twenty-seven, he had already signed personal guarantees on loans backed by former Whitmore land.
If Emily’s trust ownership was restored, those loans could be challenged.
A $90 million development project might collapse.
Victoria knew.
She had encouraged Richard for years to treat Emily’s inheritance as “family capital.”
Marcus grew up believing it would all be his.
That explained the shovel.
Not jealousy.
Not impulsive violence.
Financial survival.
Ten years later, Marcus was thirty-seven and running Ashford Consolidated publicly.
Magazine covers.
Business awards.
A wife.
Two children.
A reputation for “revitalizing rural communities.”
Emily watched one interview from her hotel.
Marcus stood beside a development map.
“We believe stewardship means leaving land stronger than we found it.”
May you like
Emily laughed until she cried.
The land behind him had belonged to her mother.
