\u201cI am calling an emergency board meeting,\u201d Garrett replied confidently. \u201cUsing the power of attorney documents Rosalind signed, I will take control of her shares, sell off the port land, and pay off my father\u2019s debts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about our child?\u201d Penelope asked softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur son will inherit everything he deserves,\u201d Garrett declared.<\/p>\n
My own half-sister had not only helped plot my murder, but she was also carrying my husband\u2019s child.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow morning, he thinks he is inheriting my entire life,\u201d I said, wiping my face clean of tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can take this audio straight to the state prosecutor,\u201d Tobias suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will,\u201d I agreed firmly. \u201cBut first, I am going to make sure he never signs a single document using my name ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n
PART 3<\/b><\/p>\n
The executive boardroom of the shipyard sat on the top floor overlooking the bustling harbor of Baltimore. Fifteen board members were seated around the massive mahogany table early the next morning.<\/p>\n
An elderly director named Leonard, who had been a loyal friend to my grandfather, slammed his hands onto the table in disgust. \u201cRosalind has been missing for less than two days! There is no death certificate, yet you are already demanding control of her assets?\u201d<\/p>\n
Garrett sat there wearing a pristine gray suit, looking like the grieving, devoted husband he had pretended to be for three years. \u201cI am not doing this for myself, Leonard,\u201d Garrett said with fake sorrow. \u201cI am simply trying to protect this company while the rescue teams search the river.\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorneys laid out thick folders filled with forged power of attorney forms that mimicked my signature down to the stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company requires immediate leadership,\u201d Garrett insisted, picking up a silver pen. \u201cRosalind would have wanted me to step in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen wait until her body is found!\u201d Leonard barked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know what happens after forty-eight hours in that river,\u201d Garrett sighed, lowering the pen toward the signature line.<\/p>\n
I shoved the heavy double doors open, letting the loud crash echo across the silent room. I walked straight inside accompanied by two state investigators and an official representative from the prosecutor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, everyone,\u201d I announced loudly. \u201cI hope I am not too late to attend my own corporate funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went dead silent as Leonard gasped in utter shock. Garrett\u2019s face drained of all color, and the silver pen slipped from his trembling fingers, clattering onto the glass table.<\/p>\n
\u201cRosalind?\u201d Garrett stammered, stumbling backward out of his leather chair. \u201cNo\u2026 this is impossible\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is wrong, my love?\u201d I asked, stepping closer with a sharp smile. \u201cYou look as though you have just seen a ghost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank God you are alive!\u201d Garrett suddenly yelled, trying to put on a show for the board as he rushed toward me with open arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not take another step toward me,\u201d I commanded, pulling a portable speaker from my bag.<\/p>\n
I hit the play button, and Garrett\u2019s recorded voice instantly filled the entire boardroom, detailing how he wired my seatbelt, poisoned my night milk, tampered with my cosmetics, and plotted with Penelope to steal my family\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
The board members gasped in absolute horror while Leonard stared at Garrett with pure hatred.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou scoundrel!\u201d Leonard shouted.<\/p>\n
Garrett lunged blindly toward the speaker, but two armed police officers immediately tackled him to the floor. \u201cGarrett Vance, stay down and keep your hands where we can see them!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is completely illegal!\u201d Garrett screamed from the floor. \u201cThat audio is fake! It is manipulated!\u201d<\/p>\n
The lead prosecutor walked over and held up a sealed evidence bag containing the cut section of the seatbelt pulled from the submerged vehicle. \u201cWe recovered this from the river hours ago, Mr. Vance. The locking mechanism was deliberately altered with wire that matches the tool set in your garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t do it!\u201d Garrett protested wildly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have search warrants for your residence to seize your toxic chemical supplies, cosmetics, and computer hard drives,\u201d the prosecutor added coldly.<\/p>\n
Garrett turned his eyes toward me, filled with genuine panic for the first time in his life. \u201cRosalind, please listen to me! We can fix this together!\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned down close to his ear so only he could hear me. \u201cYou sat on the riverbank and hugged my sister while waiting for me to drown. The only thing I am fixing today is the mistake of ever letting you into my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
PART 4<\/b><\/p>\n
Garrett was dragged out in handcuffs, but the nightmare was far from over. His wealthy father, Montgomery, pulled every string available, using high-priced attorneys to get Garrett released on high bail three days later while formal charges were processed.<\/p>\n
That very night, my phone rang with an incoming call from Penelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cRosalind, you have to help me!\u201d she sobbed frantically over the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not ever call me again,\u201d I replied coldly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGarrett found out I moved money from his private account!\u201d she screamed into the phone. \u201cHe is completely out of control, and so is his father! They are holding me at the old abandoned dockhouse on the south shore!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tobias sat across from me and quickly scribbled a note on a pad:\u00a0It is a trap.<\/i><\/p>\n
I already knew it was a trap. Penelope was speaking far too clearly about their location and claiming she was all alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am coming right now,\u201d I told her before hanging up.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you insane?\u201d Tobias asked, standing up from his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going in there alone,\u201d I answered firmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am calling an emergency board meeting,\u201d Garrett replied confidently. \u201cUsing the power of attorney documents Rosalind signed, I will … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amomama-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5713,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5710\/revisions\/5713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}