Chapter 23 - A Mother's Strength
That evening, the family gathered at the old brownstone where Clara, now an elegant matriarch in her late seventies, still kept the fireplace burning warm and bright. Clara set down a tray of tea, her eyes full of concern as she looked at her adoptive daughters.
"He’s using the same dirty tricks his father used," Clara said, sitting on the sofa beside Callie, who was rocking baby Leo. "James always knew the past would try to claw its way back. That’s why he kept a private safe-deposit box at the historic State Bank. He told me that if the Ashby name was ever threatened again, the truth would be waiting there."
"What kind of truth, Clara?" Bea asked, sitting at her feet.
"The original, unedited medical evaluations from the state university hospital," Clara said. "The ones that proved Marcus had bribed the chief of medicine to fabricate James's PTSD diagnosis. James never used them because he didn't want to drag Marcus’s young children—including Julian—through a public scandal. He wanted to give Julian a chance at a normal life."
Bea stared into the fire. "And now that child is using the very lie his father built to destroy us."
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"We go to the State Bank tomorrow," Callie said, her eyes flashing with her sister's determination. "We get those records before Julian can leak the forged ones."
"I'll go," Bea said. "Callie, you need to stay with Leo. Julian is desperate, and desperate men watch every move we make."
