My biological father had been Thomas Vale.
Older half-brother of Marcus Vale.
Thomas had d/i/e/d in an automobile accident when I was eight.
I had never known.
Neither had Marcus known I existed.
At least, that was what we assumed.
Until investigators examined the papers Claire brought from Marcus’s safe.
One document contained an inheritance schedule.
Thomas Vale had held shares in an early family real-estate partnership.
Those shares passed to descendants.
Marcus had spent years trying to consolidate control over the old Vale assets.
But if Thomas had a legal heir…
Me…
Marcus did not own everything he thought he owned.
I stared at the documents.
“How much are we talking about?”
Daniel answered.
“Potentially tens of millions.”
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because nothing else made sense.
“I was worried about paying school tuition this morning.”
Nobody spoke.
“And now you’re telling me I might own part of a company I’ve never heard of?”
