Chapter 9 - When The Forged Will Surfaced
Two weeks before the trial, Luca’s desperation reached its peak.
Fearing that Judge Callahan might require additional proof of my father’s original intentions before transferring the property solely to Luca's corporate trust, Luca and his attorney decided to commit one final, unforgivable crime.
They fabricated a revised Last Will and Testament for my late father, Thomas.
Through an inside contact at the County Records Office who had been bribed by Luca’s firm, they slipped a fraudulent codicil into the digitized probate archive. The forged document claimed that Thomas had amended his will two weeks before his death, designating Luca as the sole executor and trustee of the property in the event of my “incapacity or absence.”
On April 10th, Marcus Vance received an instant alert from the County Registrar’s automated security monitor.
“They just submitted the forged codicil,” Marcus told me over the phone, laughing in sheer disbelief. “Luca actually had an amateur forger copy your father’s signature from an old building permit.”
“My father had severe arthritis in his right hand during his final six months,” I said, looking at the framed picture of Dad sitting on my bedside table. “He couldn't hold a standard pen. He used a special thick-grip orthopedic stylus, and every legal document he signed in that final year was notarized by the Chief of Staff at the Oncology Pavilion.”
“I already have the Chief of Staff’s sworn deposition,” Marcus replied. “Luca just added federal document forgery and grand larceny to his indictment sheet. He is walking straight into a firing squad and bringing his mother right along with him.”
That evening, I dressed Maya in a soft white knit onesie with a tiny embroidered sunflower—my father’s favorite flower.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
May you like
The hollow, terrified girl who had been shoved into a boiling pot six months ago was gone. In her place stood a mother with cold resolve, clear eyes, and a heart made of steel.
“Tomorrow, Maya,” I whispered, gently kissing her cheek as she giggled in my arms. “Tomorrow, we take back our name.”
