Chapter 8: The Secrets of the Bennett Firm
Chapter 8: The Secrets of the Bennett Firm
Clara’s penthouse was a fortress of luxury, but we didn't spend any time relaxing. Within forty-eight hours, Clara had filed a massive twenty-million-dollar civil lawsuit against my parents and Preston, making it completely public.
The pressure began to crack the Bennett family foundation from the inside.
Late one evening, there was an unexpected knock on the penthouse door. The security guard downstairs radioed up. "Ms. Bennett, there’s a woman named Madison Bennett down here. She says she’s your brother’s wife. She claims it's an emergency."
Madison? Preston’s new bride?
"Let her up," I told the guard, my curiosity piqued.
When the elevator doors opened, Madison stepped out. She looked entirely different from the pristine, arrogant bride at the wedding. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her hair was a mess, and she was clutching a thick manila envelope to her chest.
"Evelyn," she sobbed, dropping to her knees the moment she saw me. "You have to help me. Please, you have to help me."
I didn't touch her. I stood back, cautious. "What are you doing here, Madison? Where is your loyalty to the golden boy?"
"He lied to me!" Madison cried, shaking. "The firm... Richard’s firm is going under. Preston didn't marry me because he loved me. He married me because my grandfather left me a five-million-dollar trust fund that becomes accessible upon my marriage. Richard and Preston have already transferred two million of it into an offshore account to cover up a massive embezzlement scandal at Bennett & Associates!"
I looked at Clara, who had stepped out of the office. Clara’s eyes lit up like a predator who had just spotted its prey.
"Show me the documents, Madison," Clara said authoritatively.
Madison scrambled up and threw the manila envelope onto the kitchen island. Inside were financial ledgers, bank routing numbers, and internal emails from my father’s law firm. For years, Richard and Preston had been skimming money from their clients' trust funds to fund Preston’s lavish lifestyle, his gambling debts, and their high-society appearances.
They were bleeding money, and the wedding was nothing more than a financial heist to steal Madison’s inheritance.
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"They framed Sophie because Preston was erratic and high on cocaine that night," Madison admitted, her voice trembling. "He lost his phone, which contained the transaction receipts for the offshore accounts. He panicked, thought someone was trying to expose him, and when he found the phone in his pocket later, he planted it on Sophie to redirect the blame and create a distraction."
The pieces of the puzzle fell into place with a horrifying thud. It wasn't just about a sibling rivalry or favoritism. It was a cover-up for a multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise.
