Marcus drove like a madman to the old Henderson family estate.
He still believed everything had to be a mistake.
His mother opened the front door.
"He's finally home," she said with relief. "Your father has been talking to the lawyers for hours. We'll find a way to fix this."
But before Marcus could say a word, the chief attorney walked into the living room.
His expression was grim.
"There is no solution."
He placed one final file on the table.
"Last night, the Henderson Family Trust officially terminated all financial support to your family."
Marcus frowned.
"What financial support?"
The attorney looked him straight in the eye.
"For the past twelve years, nearly everything your family owned has been sustained by investments from Julianne's family trust."
The room fell silent.
"The mansion you live in..."
"The vacation homes..."
"The art collection..."
"Even the company that built the Henderson name..."
"...has been financed and maintained by her family."
Marcus's father slammed his fist onto the table.
"That's nonsense! My family built this empire ourselves!"
The attorney slid a stack of bank statements across the table.
"Then I suggest you read these documents carefully."
His father flipped through the papers in a panic.
With every page, the color drained further from his face.
The loans.
The guarantees.
The investments.
Every single one of them led back to one name.
Julianne Henderson.
At that very moment, the phone rang.
It was the bank.
"We are notifying you that the loan secured by the family estate has been called due, effective immediately."
Marcus's mother burst into tears.
"But... we've owned this house for thirty years!"
"No, ma'am," the bank representative replied calmly.
"The property was used as collateral for a line of credit guaranteed by the Henderson Family Trust. That guarantee was withdrawn today."
Marcus felt his knees buckle.
Less than an hour later, court officers arrived.
They handed the family official legal documents.
The Hendersons had seven days to vacate the estate.
As panic spread through the house, another message appeared on Marcus's phone.
This time, it was from Julianne.
Just one sentence.
"I never took anything from you. I simply took back what had always been mine."
Marcus called her immediately.
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
Every call ended the same way.
The number you have dialed is unavailable.
On the other side of the world, Julianne stepped out of a black limousine with her two children.
Ahead of them, the gates of a magnificent estate overlooking Lake Geneva slowly opened.
An elegant elderly gentleman greeted her with a warm smile.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Henderson."
Julianne looked at her sleeping children.
"From today on, our real life begins."
But she had no idea...
That Marcus had already found her.
And that he was willing to risk everything to win her back... even if it meant exposing the darkest secrets of the Henderson family.
To be continued...
