Chapter 9 - Jessica’s Second PlanJessica had not trusted Diane’s plan completely.
If Brendan gained temporary authority, he would control the company.
Jessica would remain dependent on him.
So she created a rival document naming Arthur.
When Protocol Seven activated, the suspicious clause would surface and damage Cassidy’s trust in her uncle.
The family would fracture.
Jessica could then present herself to the board as the only executive untouched by the conflict.
Except she had underestimated Protocol Seven’s camera preservation.
Her face appeared clearly in the executive-office footage.
Nathan confronted her through a recorded security interview.
Jessica denied everything until he showed the biometric access logs and the hooded image.
Then she laughed.
“Everyone else made backup plans. Why shouldn’t I?”
“You forged a pregnant woman’s signature.”
“I preserved options.”
“You billed twelve million dollars through a fake hospitality company.”
“That money was keeping the family operational.”
“You bought jewelry with corporate funds.”
“Diane required appearances.”
“What was your end goal?”
Jessica leaned back.
“Not to spend the rest of my life watching Brendan inherit everything because he was born first.”
Her resentment had fueled years of theft.
Diane promised her control of the foundation after Cassidy’s incapacity.
Brendan promised a board seat.
Malcolm promised nothing.
Jessica believed every person at the table intended to use her.
She was right.
She still chose to help drug Cassidy.
“Did you know about the contraction medication?” Nathan asked.
Jessica hesitated.
“I knew Reeves wanted a medical event.”
“That is not an answer.”
“I knew she planned to induce labor if the sedatives failed.”
“Did Brendan know?”
“He knew the baby might come early.”
That contradicted Brendan’s denial.
Arthur showed Cassidy the recording.
She felt no surprise now.
Only exhaustion.
The contractions had slowed after treatment, but Naomi refused to lower monitoring.
Cassidy rested beneath warm blankets while legal teams dismantled the Morrison access network.
Then Serena called again.
This time, Nathan traced the signal.
It came from a storage facility near the river.
Police and private security found Serena inside a locked office, frightened but unharmed. She had been hiding after Elise warned that Diane planned to blame the entire scheme on her.
Serena surrendered a backup drive.
It contained recordings from the penthouse bedroom.
One showed Brendan and Diane speaking while Cassidy slept.
Diane placed the old Vale charter on the dresser.
“We only need the emergency clause active until the annual meeting.”
Brendan whispered, “What if she wakes up during the transfer?”
“Reeves will keep her calm.”
“What if something happens to the baby?”
Diane looked toward Cassidy’s sleeping body.
“Then the next pregnancy will be handled better.”
Cassidy stopped the video.
The room became silent.
Brendan had not answered.
He had not objected.
He had stood beside his pregnant wife and allowed his mother to speak about their daughter as replaceable.
Arthur asked whether Cassidy wanted to continue.
She nodded.
The footage resumed.
Jessica entered later.
She told Diane the contraction drug carried risks.
Diane replied:
“Risk is what makes the emergency clause credible.”
Malcolm appeared in the doorway.
He heard everything.
Then he said:
“Do not leave the medication where auditors can connect it to company accounts.”
Every senior Morrison knew.
The family had not been following Diane blindly.
They were collaborating with different levels of awareness.
Serena’s drive included one last clip.
A man entered Cassidy’s room after everyone left.
He adjusted the blanket over her shoulders and removed the tea from the vanity.
Arthur.
He smelled it, poured part into a sample vial, and replaced the cup.
Cassidy looked at her uncle.
“You knew the tea was suspicious.”
“I tested it privately.”
“When?”
“Five weeks ago.”
“What did you find?”
“A sedative.”
“And you did not tell me?”
Arthur’s silence was answer enough.
He had been investigating while allowing Cassidy to remain in the penthouse.
He believed he needed more evidence.
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He left her inside the danger to complete the case.
👉 Serena’s footage proved every Morrison knew about the plan—but it also showed Arthur discovered the drug weeks earlier and kept Cassidy in the house anyway.
