“Read the next clause, Mr. Halden,” I commanded, my voice echoing off the stone.

Mr. Halden adjusted his grip on the heavy paper.

“Should my death occur under any circumstances deemed sudden or suspicious,” Halden read, his voice dropping an octave, “my mother, Margaret Ellis, shall be granted full and irrevocable authority to pursue civil litigation, to unseal and release all collected medical evidence, and to vote my twelve percent share block entirely against my husband, Evan Vale, in all corporate matters, effective immediately.”

The murmur in the church erupted into a cacophony of shock, horror, and corporate hunger.

The board members in the second pew were suddenly whispering furiously to one another, their eyes darting between me and the disgraced CEO.

Evan stared at me, his eyes wide, the breath hitching in his chest.

In that single moment, I watched the realization crash over him like a tidal wave.