Chapter 3 – The Empire Begins to Crack
Chapter 3 – The Empire Begins to Crack
Within minutes, every member of the Lancaster board had gathered in a private conference room adjoining the ballroom.
The family attorney projected the documents onto a large screen.
DNA records.
Financial transfers.
Secret trust amendments.
Evidence that millions had been diverted over two decades to conceal the existence of the family's eldest daughter.
One director slowly removed his glasses.
"Why was this hidden?"
Arthur Lancaster lowered his head.
"Because acknowledging her would have changed the line of succession."
Silence.
The groom stared at his grandfather in disbelief.
"You lied to all of us?"
Arthur closed his eyes.
"I believed I was protecting the family."
The lead director spoke firmly.
"No."
"You were protecting your reputation."
A vote was called immediately.
The board unanimously suspended the current trustees pending a full independent investigation.
Outside the conference room, reporters had already begun asking questions.
What was meant to be the wedding of the year had become the beginning of the Lancaster family's greatest scandal.
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For the first time in decades...
Their fortune could no longer hide their secrets.
