Page 96 of Ruined By Blood
"Exactly. Once a year, he brings me out just enough to sign whatever papers his lawyers put in front of me. The rest of the time..." Her voice trails off, eyes growing distant. "The rest of the time, I might as well be dead."
"How much does he still draw from the trust?"
"Millions each year. It's how he finances his operations when his other ventures struggle." Her eyes suddenly sharpen with clarity. "The trust is his safety net. Without it, he'd be vulnerable."
I process this information, seeing how it fits into our strategy. "And if you were to redirect those funds? Cut him off?"
For the first time, a real smile touches her lips. "I am still the legal beneficiary. With the right lawyers present, I could redirect everything within hours."
"He needed access to your money, but didn't want anyone knowing you were still alive to challenge him."
Charlotte nods, straightening her spine.
I stand up from the chair, already pulling my phone from my pocket. "Charlotte, I need to make a call. Then I'll explain everything that's happening with Sienna."
"Ginerva will bring you anything you need," I add, moving toward the door.
Once in the hallway, I pull up Henry Sterling's number. My thumb hovers over the screen for just a moment before I press call. This conversation will set everything in motion.
He answers on the third ring. "Feretti." His voice is ice cold, controlled in a way that tells me he's barely containing his rage. "You have exactly three seconds to explain why you're calling me before I hang up and make sure your family bleeds for what you've done."
I laugh, low and dark.
"Henry, Henry, Henry," I drawl, leaning against the wall. "Is that any way to greet an old business associate? I was thinking we could catch up, maybe discuss your creative approach to family health care."
"You son of a bitch." His composure cracks slightly. "Iknow you took her. I already have people at Oakwood. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
"Actually, I was counting on it." I examine my fingernails, keeping my voice deliberately casual. "Charlotte and I have been having a fascinating conversation about trust funds. Old money. Annual signatures. All very educational."
The silence on the other end of the line tells me I've struck a nerve.
"I have a proposal for you, Sterling." I drop the casual act, my voice hardening. "A simple exchange. Nothing complicated."
"If you've hurt her?—"
I cut him off with another laugh, this one sharp as broken glass. "That's rich coming from you."
His breathing becomes audible through the phone. Good. I want him rattled.
"My proposal is this: Charlotte for Sienna. A straight trade."
"Fuck you."
"Not part of the deal, I'm afraid." I push off from the wall, pacing the hallway. "Here's what happens if you refuse. By this time tomorrow, Charlotte will be meeting with a team of very expensive lawyers. The kind who specialize in cases of forced confinement and financial exploitation. I wonder how your investors will react when they learn their steady, reliable partner is actually dependent on his wife's trust fund? The wife everyone thought was dead."
"You wouldn't dare."
"I'm a gambling man, Henry. I own casinos. Want to bet on what I would or wouldn't dare?"
The silence stretches between us. I can almost hear himcalculating, weighing his options. Money versus his vendetta against me. His leverage with Cortez versus the foundation of his empire.
"I'll come to your house personally," I tell him, my voice dropping to a deadly calm. "Just me. No men, no backup. Only my driver and your wife."
"Do you think I'm fucking stupid, Feretti?" Henry snarls through the phone. "What's the catch? You waltz into my house alone with Charlotte? There has to be more."
"No catch, Sterling. I want to handle this like professionals. You have something I want. I have something you want."
"And what exactly do you want?" His voice drips with suspicion.
