Three days later, the four family members returned home exhausted, furious, and completely stripped of their luxury luggage.
They fully expected to find Lucas weeping helplessly beside a lifeless corpse.
However, the moment Rachel unlocked the front door, all the bright ceiling lights flashed on simultaneously.
Walter was sitting proudly in the middle of the room in a sharp gray suit, standing completely upright.
Attorney Douglas Ross stood ready at his right side, while two stern officers from the prosecutor’s office stood to his left.
Rachel dropped her expensive handbag onto the floor in sheer terror.
“Grandpa, what is the meaning of this?” Rachel stuttered nervously.
Walter lifted a thick red folder off the table with authority.
“It means I finally know who tried to bury me alive,” Walter answered calmly.
The senior prosecutor then asked them all to step inside and close the door immediately.
PART 3
Pamela was the very first person to react by placing both hands dramatically over her chest and letting out a theatrical moan.
“Walter, what a wonderful surprise, because we honestly thought you were gravely ill,” Pamela gasped dramatically.
“I was so ill that you cut off my water supply and locked my door from the outside so I could not call for help,” Walter replied directly.
Gregory turned deathly pale in an instant as he stared at his father.
For years, he had strolled through the estate like an absolute monarch, ordering workers around, showing off company vehicles, and lounging in a custom leather armchair.
Now he looked like a caught child who had been stolen red handed.
Derek took a nervous step backward toward the exit.
“I have absolutely nothing to do with these personal family matters,” Derek claimed quickly.
The tallest officer immediately blocked his path.
“You are heavily involved with six point four million dollars transferred through fictitious suppliers,” the officer corrected him sharply.
Rachel spun around to confront her secret lover in panic.
“You explicitly swore to me that those transfers were completely legal,” Rachel yelled at Derek.
“And you explicitly swore your grandfather would not last another month, so do not act innocent now,” Derek spat back angrily.
“Shut your mouth right now,” Rachel screamed hysterically.
“Why should I, considering you gave me the security keys, photographed his signatures, and claimed Lucas was too stupid to ever check the accounting records?” Derek retorted furiously.
Lucas observed the chaotic scene quietly from the far side of the room.
He felt no desire to yell, because the sheer depth of betrayal had pushed his anger into a cold, motionless calm.
Attorney Ross opened his legal folder on the counter to explain the legal consequences.
“To summarize, Mr. Walter Lawson retains total ownership of the entire consortium, while the estate and vehicles belong strictly to his holding corporation,” the attorney announced clearly.
He added that Gregory’s management powers were completely revoked and all fraudulent employment contracts were immediately terminated.
Gregory slammed his heavy fist onto the wooden table in rage.
“I built that entire company with my own hands,” Gregory shouted indignantly.
Walter looked at his son without even blinking.
“You arrived when there were already fully operating sawmills, established clients, and steady payrolls,” Walter reminded him calmly.
“I started this business with a single used saw, a rusty pickup truck, and ten workers who only got paid when we had money, so never confuse being born near a fortune with actually building it,” Walter added forcefully.
Pamela broke into loud, dramatic tears beside her husband.
“We only did what we did because we were utterly exhausted, and taking care of you became far too overwhelming,” Pamela sobbed.
“You never took care of me, because you intentionally drugged me,” Walter countered sternly.
The attorney placed clear photographic evidence on the table, showing sedative bottles, altered prescriptions, video stills, and official blood test results.
Gregory turned to glare at his wife in shock.
“You told me the doctor explicitly recommended those soothing drops for him,” Gregory accused Pamela.
“You were the one who kept pouring them into his warm drinks,” Pamela shot back.
“Because you handed me the bottle every single time,” Gregory argued loudly.
“Well, you were secretly increasing the daily dosage on your own,” Pamela screamed back.
Walter allowed them to tear each other apart for several minutes while the prosecutor took detailed notes.
Rachel slowly walked over to Lucas with a pleading expression on her face.
“Lucas, sweetheart, we desperately need to talk about this in private,” Rachel whispered softly.
Lucas looked back at her with a chilling calm that deeply unsettled her.
“I have listened to you talking about me for months with Derek behind closed doors,” Lucas answered quietly.
She swallowed hard, trying desperately to regain control of the narrative.
“It was a terrible mistake because I felt abandoned while you were always away in the mountains, worrying about work and my grandfather,” Rachel claimed desperately.
“I was working endlessly in the mountains to pay off this estate, cover your lavish expenses, and purchase the expensive medicines you claimed to buy,” Lucas pointed out.
“Meanwhile, you were plotting to throw me out onto the street the moment the inheritance money came through,” Lucas added calmly.
“I was just confused and overwhelmed,” Rachel whimpered softly.
“No, you were doing precise financial calculations,” Lucas replied firmly.
Rachel lowered her voice to a desperate whisper.
“We can fix everything together, because you know my family depends entirely on your hard work, and you will not let them arrest us,” Rachel urged.
Lucas pulled his plain wedding band out of his pocket, held it in his palm for a brief moment, and placed it quietly on the table.
“For five years, I foolishly believed that enduring abuse was a form of devotion, but today I finally realized I was only teaching you how much you could walk over me without facing consequences,” Lucas said steadily.
“Lucas, please do not do this,” Rachel pleaded.
“The divorce petition has already been formally submitted to the court,” Lucas stated plainly.
Rachel’s begging expression instantly vanished, replaced by pure malice.
“Who do you think you are, because without us you were an absolute nobody, and my father gave you a job when you had nothing,” Rachel sneered.
Walter let out a sharp, dry laugh from his chair.
“I gave him a job, and I kept him because he never lost a lumber shipment, never inflated an invoice, and never abandoned an old man who could not thank him,” Walter declared loudly.
Rachel glared at her grandfather with bitter resentment.
“Was this entire sickening setup just a trap for us?” Rachel demanded.
“It was a test of character, and every single one of you went out of your way to fail it in the most disgraceful manner possible,” Walter replied sternly.
The old man then explained what no one had ever suspected.
After his initial heart attack and the painful loss of his wife, he had spent six months in rigorous physical rehabilitation.
He had regained most of his physical mobility, but quickly discovered disturbing signs as his son inquired relentlessly about wills and stocks, his daughter in law discussed selling off assets, and his granddaughter treated him like an annoying burden.
With the secret help of Dr. Reynolds and Attorney Ross, Walter feigned a complete physical relapse.
Though he originally intended to observe them for just a few weeks, the more helpless he acted, the more cruel and careless his family became.
“At first, I thought their harsh behavior was just stress, but then I heard my own son placing bets on how many days I had left,” Walter reflected sadly.
