Chapter 5 - The Dead Man's Seal
The notary's name was Thomas Varela. Maya Chen placed his death certificate beside the purported power of attorney and let the silence do its work. The document claimed Varela had witnessed Rosa's signature in June. He had been buried two years earlier.
“That's a strong indication of fraud,” Maya said, “but we still need to identify who prepared and submitted the document.”
Adrian asked for a copy of every file the bank had received. The lender agreed to preserve its records and cooperate with the inquiry. Within hours, an email trail pointed to a paralegal at a law office Elias used for development deals.
Celeste watched the attorneys leave. Then she came to Adrian's study and asked for five minutes alone. He left the door open.
“I didn't know about the dead notary,” she said.
“Did you know my signature was forged?”
She looked down.
“Celeste.”
“I knew the financing was urgent. My father said the bank wouldn't close unless your family interests were included. He told me the paperwork was temporary.”
“You signed papers in my name?”
“I sent copies of old signatures. I thought they were for comparison.”
Adrian felt a cold weight settle in his chest. “And my mother?”
Celeste began crying. “I thought she would be happier in a residence with full-time staff.”
“You told her my children would be taken away.”
“I was trying to get her to listen.”
“That wasn't listening. That was terrorizing her.”
She reached for his hand. He stepped back. Whatever feelings he had once held for her could not change the facts. He told her the engagement was over and asked her to arrange a place to stay. He also told her that Maya would contact her attorney about the documents.
In the kitchen, Claire was helping Rosa practice a sentence for Sophie and Noah. The children were returning that evening, and Rosa wanted to tell them that they were safe. Claire realized she had become a keeper of small, important moments. A single sentence could take twenty attempts. A laugh could make Rosa lose her place. Yet Rosa kept trying.
When the children arrived, Noah ran straight into his grandmother's arms. Sophie noticed the band of worry around her father's eyes. “Is Grandma sick again?” she asked.
“No,” Adrian said. “Some grown-ups made decisions they had no right to make. We're fixing that.”
“Are we losing the bakery?”
“Not if we can help it.”
Sophie nodded solemnly. “Grandma says the bakery belongs to everybody who ever needed bread.”
Rosa laughed and pointed at her granddaughter. “Smart... girl.”
That night, Maya called with another discovery. The paralegal who had transmitted the papers was missing from work, and her supervisor claimed she had resigned without notice. Before disappearing, she had emailed herself a copy of a document titled Contingency: DeLuca Family Trust.
May you like
It contained a schedule of payments that would begin only after Adrian's wedding.
The engagement wasn't a distraction from the fraud. It was the deadline that made the fraud possible.
