Chapter 10 - The Truth About the Final Will
The original ownership documents were hidden beneath the oldest Harrington property.
But the final will contained something far more dangerous.
A truth that could destroy everything Rosalind had built.
We returned to Anchorage with the evidence.
By then, the entire business world was watching.
Investors waited.
News outlets speculated.
Competitors prepared.
Everyone thought Samantha was losing.
They were about to discover they had misunderstood her.
The emergency board meeting was held inside the Harrington headquarters.
The same building where Rosalind once expected Samantha to walk in defeated.
Instead, Samantha entered wearing a dark tailored suit.
No fear.
No hesitation.
The room became silent.
The executives looked surprised.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Others looked guilty.
Samantha placed the folder on the table.
“I know what my family has been saying.”
Nobody moved.
“I know the rumors.”
She opened the first document.
“But rumors are easy.”
She placed the financial records down.
“Evidence is harder to ignore.”
The room changed.
Rosalind arrived twenty minutes later.
She walked in confidently.
Until she saw the documents.
Until she saw Samantha’s expression.
“What is this?”
Samantha looked at her.
“The truth.”
Rosalind laughed softly.
“You think paperwork changes anything?”
“No.”
Samantha replied.
“Your choices changed everything.”
The room went silent.
Samantha revealed the recordings.
The hidden accounts.
The secret agreements.
Every betrayal.
Every lie.
Rosalind’s face slowly lost color.
Because for the first time, she was not controlling the story.
She was trapped inside it.
Then the final document was revealed.
Richard Harrington’s original will.
Not the edited version Rosalind had presented.
The real one.
The one hidden years ago.
The attorney opened the envelope.
“According to this document, Samantha Harrington is the sole legal heir.”
Rosalind shook her head.
“That’s impossible.”
The attorney continued.
“There is also a condition.”
Everyone looked up.
The condition was written clearly.
If any family member attempts to remove Samantha through force, deception, or coercion, all shares connected to the Harrington Resort Group will immediately be transferred under independent protection until the threat is eliminated.
The board members looked at Rosalind.
She understood.
Her attack had triggered the very protection she was trying to avoid.
After the meeting, Samantha stood alone in her father’s office.
I found her looking at his old desk.
“He knew.”
I stood beside her.
“Yes.”
“He knew I would be afraid.”
A pause.
“He knew I would doubt myself.”
She touched the desk.
“But he believed I would fight.”
I smiled slightly.
“Because he knew you.”
She looked at me.
“And now everyone knows you.”
I understood what she meant.
The Crimson Shadow was no longer a secret.
The world had started connecting the pieces.
The quiet husband.
The hidden empire.
The man who appeared whenever someone threatened Samantha.
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A familiar voice spoke.
“Congratulations, Gareth.”
Adrian.
I said nothing.
“You won the inheritance battle.”
A pause.
“But you still haven’t won the war.”
My expression hardened.
“Where are you?”
A quiet laugh.
“Closer than you think.”
The call ended.
Samantha looked at me.
“What did he say?”
I looked out at the city.
The war was no longer about money.
It was personal.
“He’s coming.”
And somewhere in the darkness, Adrian Cross smiled.
Because he knew the one thing I feared most.
The Crimson Shadow could survive any enemy.
But Gareth Cole?
May you like
The husband Samantha loved?
That was the man he intended to destroy.
