Chapter 172
Marcus’s POV
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Marcus had thought he was done with Penelope. She was in jail awaiting trial for vehicular manslaughter and murder, her assets frozen, her reputation destroyed. The board had stripped her of all positions and voting rights. As far as Marcus was concerned, she was a problem that had been solved.
But Luca’s parting words kept echoing in his head. Plans you haven’t found yet.
So Marcus did what he always did when something didn’t add up. He dug deeper.
He sat in his home office while Elara napped with the babies in the nursery, going through every file Dante had compiled on Penelope’s activities over the past decade.
Most of it he’d already seen. But Marcus was looking for something else now. Something they might have missed in their focus on the murder and corporate sabotage.
He found it buried in a folder marked “Legal Consultations” that hadn’t seemed important at the time.
Penelope had been meeting with a law firm. Not her regular attorneys who handled estate matters and corporate filings, but a different firm that specialized in probate litigation and will contests.
Marcus opened the first document and felt his blood run cold.
It was a draft legal brief challenging his grandfather’s will. Arguing that the marriage requirement was unconscionable and should be invalidated. That Marcus’s contract marriage proved he’d circumvented the spirit of the will’s provisions. That the entire inheritance should be redistributed according to intestacy laws, which would give Penelope as the surviving spouse a much larger share.
The brief was thorough, well-researched, and absolutely devastating. Penelope’s lawyers had found case law supporting every argument, had documented the contract marriage in excruciating detail, had even included affidavits from people who’d witnessed Marcus and Elara’s early relationship and would testify it appeared transactional rather than genuine.
Marcus scrolled through page after page of legal strategy. Motions to file, arguments to make, witnesses to call. Penelope had been planning this for months, maybe years. Building a case brick by brick while pretending to accept her reduced inheritance.
“This would have worked,” Marcus said aloud to the empty office. “If she’d filed this before getting arrested, she might have actually won.”
He kept reading and found more. Discovery requests that would have forced Marcus to turn over every detail of his relationship with Elara.
The plan was brilliant in its cruelty. Even if Marcus had survived the corporate sabotage, even if he’d managed to keep his position as CEO, Penelope would have tied him up in probate court for years. Draining resources, distracting him from the company, potentially succeeding in overturning the will and claiming a fortune she had no right to.
Marcus called Dante.
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Chapter 172
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“I found what Luca was talking about,” Marcus said without preamble. “Penelope was planning to contest my grandfather’s will. She hired a whole firm to build a case challenging the marriage requirement and my eligibility to inherit.”
“Send me everything you have. I’ll review it and see if there are any landmines we need to defuse.”
Marcus forwarded the files and then kept digging. There were more consultations with different law firms, each one offering a slightly different strategy for challenging the will. Penelope had been shopping for the best approach, the most aggressive attorneys, the surest path to destroying everything Marcus’s grandfather had built.
His phone rang an hour later. Dante.
“This is bad,” Dante said. “Not bad in the sense that she can still do anything from jail, but bad in the sense that these law firms still have all this research and strategy prepared. If Penelope wanted to, she could still file these motions even while awaiting trial.”
“Can she do that? Use civil litigation while facing criminal charges?”
“Unfortunately yes. Being charged with murder doesn’t prevent you from filing lawsuits. And probate court moves slowly enough that she could have most of these motions heard before her criminal trial even starts.”
Marcus felt exhaustion creeping over him. “So we’re not done. Even with her in jail, even with all her schemes exposed, she can still cause damage.”
“She could. But I don’t think she will.”
“Why not?”
“Because filing these motions would require money for legal fees, and all her assets are frozen. She’d need to find attorneys willing to work on contingency, betting that they’ll get paid if she wins. Most probate lawyers won’t touch a case that risky, especially when the client is facing murder charges.”
“Most won’t. But some might.”
“Which is why we’re going to be proactive. I’m drafting a motion to have you declared the rightful heir under the will with prejudice, meaning Penelope waives any right to challenge it as part of her plea negotiations.”
Marcus sat up straighter. “You think she’ll take a plea deal?”
“Her lawyers would be insane not to pursue one. The evidence against her for the hit-and-run is overwhelming. If she goes to trial she’s looking at twenty-five to life for vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene. But if she pleads guilty and shows remorse, she might get it reduced to fifteen with possibility of parole.”
“And in exchange for that reduction, she gives up any claim to my inheritance.”
“Exactly. We make it part of the deal. She pleads guilty, accepts her sentence, and signs away all rights to challenge your grandfather’s will or claim any portion of the estate.”
It made sense strategically. But something about it felt wrong to Marcus. Like they were letting Penelope off
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Chapter 172
easy, giving her an escape route when she deserved to face the full consequences of her actions.
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“She killed my mother,” Marcus said quietly. “She murdered her and then married my father and tried to steal everything from our family. And we’re going to offer her a deal?”
“We’re going to offer her a deal that puts her in prison for fifteen years minimum and strips her of any legal standing to harm you going forward. That’s not letting her off easy, Marcus. That’s protecting your family from years of litigation and appeals.”
Marcus wanted to argue but he knew Dante was right. The goal wasn’t revenge. The goal was peace. Safety. A future where Penelope couldn’t reach them anymore.
“Okay,” Marcus said. “Draft the motion. Make the offer to her attorneys. Let’s end this.”
“I’ll have something ready by tomorrow.”
Marcus hung up and leaned back in his chair.
His family are safe and healthy and completely unaware of all the legal machinations happening to protect them.
Marcus was about to go join them when his phone rang again. Unknown number.
He almost didn’t answer but something made him pick up.
“Marcus Thorne speaking.”
“Mr. Thorne, this is Jennifer Morrison from Hartley and Associates. I’m one of the attorneys who’s been consulting with Penelope Thorne regarding the will contest.”
Marcus’s hand tightened on the phone. “I’m aware of your work. I found your files this morning.”
“Then you know we’ve done extensive research into potential challenges to your inheritance. I’m calling because I have a final message from my client that she asked me to relay.”
“I’m not interested in anything Penelope has to say.”
“I think you’ll want to hear this. It concerns the safety of your children.”
Marcus felt ice flood his veins. “What did you just say?”
“Mrs. Thorne wanted me to inform you that while her plans regarding the will contest are now defunct due to her incarceration, she had other contingencies in place. Insurance policies, she called them. And she wanted you to know that some of those policies are still active.”
“If you’re threatening my family-”
“I’m not threatening anyone, Mr. Thorne. I’m simply delivering a message as requested by my client. What you do with that information is up to you.”
“What kind of contingencies? What policies?”
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Chapter 172
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“I’m afraid I can’t say. Attorney-client privilege prevents me from disclosing the specifics. But Mrs. Thorne was very clear that you should take this message seriously.”
The line went dead.
Marcus sat frozen in his chair, his mind racing.
What the hell had Penelope set in motion that they hadn’t found yet?
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