Chapter 13 - Journey to Seattle
Leaving Rosa in charge of the estate with an upgraded security detail, Nathan and Maya drove down the mountain toward Seattle. The city was bustling with spring rain, its gray skyscrapers cutting through low-hanging clouds. Their destination was an upscale legal firm in downtown Seattle where Eleanor Vance practiced corporate law as a senior partner.
They didn't call ahead. They simply walked through the glass revolving doors of the high-rise, bypassing the reception desk through sheer intimidating presence, and strode straight into Eleanor’s private corner office on the fortieth floor.
Eleanor Vance—a sharp-featured woman in her late fifties with silver-streaked hair and cold gray eyes—looked up from her laptop, showing no surprise at all. In fact, a thin, knowing smile crept across her lips.
"Nathan," Eleanor said smoothly, closing her laptop. "I wondered when you would finally show up. You always were remarkably predictable."
Nathan stepped forward, resting his palms on her polished desk and leaning in close. "Cut the act, Eleanor. You abandoned our family decades ago. You don't care about Lily, Ethan, or Owen. You care about the multi-million-dollar trust fund Marcus embezzled and funneled through your corporate firm."
Eleanor didn't flinch. She leaned back in her leather chair, crossing her legs with absolute poise. "Marcus was an idiot, I'll grant you that. He let his temper ruin a very lucrative arrangement. But Sarah’s children are legal heirs to a vast estate, Nathan. An estate that requires sophisticated management—something a cardiothoracic surgeon hiding out in a glass mountain mansion is entirely unqualified to handle."
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"Those children belong with me," Nathan said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I am their legal guardian. And if you try to use the courts to seize their inheritance, I will tear your entire firm apart piece by piece."
"Threats, Nathan? Really?" Eleanor chuckled softly. "You think this is about money? My associates in the Seattle syndicate don't care about the cash anymore. They care about the Ledger—the financial record Marcus kept detailing every corrupt politician, judge, and developer in the Pacific Northwest. And rumor has it, little Lily carried that very ledger out of the house the night her mother died."
