{"id":8401,"date":"2026-09-25T20:43:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T20:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=8401"},"modified":"2026-09-25T20:43:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T20:43:49","slug":"part-22-the-trustee-protecting-nora-had-been-founded-by-arthurs-ally-and-victor-admitted-the-mercer-amendment-was-designed-for-this-exact-betrayal-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=8401","title":{"rendered":"PART 22 \u2013 The Trustee Protecting Nora Had Been Founded by Arthur\u2019s Ally, and Victor Admitted the Mercer Amendment Was Designed for This Exact Betrayal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Marianne called the trust company immediately.<\/p>\n<p>No one answered the private line she used.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened her more than I expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s business hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe they\u2019re handling the security review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey would answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry another number.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She did.<\/p>\n<p>General reception picked up.<\/p>\n<p>The receptionist transferred her.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Another executive.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne hung up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris called Chicago police and asked them to send officers directly to the trustee\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz began pulling everything she could find on Charles Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>I kept hearing one phrase.<\/p>\n<p>Independent trustee.<\/p>\n<p>It had sounded safe.<\/p>\n<p>Now independence seemed like another label people used until someone looked closely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Charles alive?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLate seventies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill involved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmeritus position. No day-to-day authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he know Arthur is alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen call Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris did.<\/p>\n<p>Victor appeared by secure video fifteen minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>His face changed the moment he saw the old photograph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer the question first,\u201d Harris said. \u201cCharles Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked tired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOld friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMember of Bell\u2019s circle?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My anger rose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou placed Nora\u2019s trust with a company founded by one of Arthur\u2019s people?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought Charles left that world decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou keep thinking people leave things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat does not answer why you chose his company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe firm has an excellent reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I trusted Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe helped me once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting away from Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Bell\u2019s staged death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did he help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe moved several personal holdings beyond the structures Arthur controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Charles knew Arthur was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris leaned toward the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why does the trust company treat Arthur Rose as a separate person?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone submitted a proxy appointing Arthur Rose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid they accept it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen their procedures worked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLauren Beck impersonated me. The trustee challenged her. But their founder is connected to Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor stared at the photograph again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles would never help Arthur now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Arthur ruined his family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was another hidden history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor rubbed his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles\u2019s younger brother was involved in one of Arthur\u2019s operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe went to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe took the blame for financial crimes that implicated other members of the group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Charles turned against Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarly 2000s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Arthur\u2019s fake death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why is his name still tied to the circle?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the photograph is older.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked up from her tablet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhoto date is 1999.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That supported Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Not proof.<\/p>\n<p>But something.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was Charles\u2019s brother\u2019s name?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz searched.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe died in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSentence length?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrime?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWire fraud, bribery, obstruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arthur\u2019s methods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Charles do afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFounded the trust company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith whose money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning Mercer money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny Bell money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot that I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny Carter money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was an early investor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the trustee protecting Nora was partly funded by you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd founded by a man from Arthur\u2019s circle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndependent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the trust was created, Charles had spent twenty years distancing himself from Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet Arthur knew exactly how to approach the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knows everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is the Mercer amendment really for?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know what it says.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know the summary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy call it Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>There.<\/p>\n<p>The name was not accidental.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t named after the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles drafted the protective language.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked toward her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles reviewed the amendment personally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy wasn\u2019t that disclosed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I asked him privately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne\u2019s anger sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou bypassed counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou created succession language affecting a multibillion-dollar trust through private discussions with an old family associate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you say it that way\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is exactly what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor did not argue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Charles warn you about?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the existing trust could still be manipulated through family representation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe predicted Arthur might use me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe mentioned a surviving parent being pressured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the amendment blocked Carter family members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not block Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause legally Arthur Bell was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had built his advantage years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>A dead man could not be named in legal exclusions.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur Rose appeared clean.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Charles say about Arthur Rose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know Bell used that identity?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can you not know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not know Arthur was operating openly under that name until recently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Harris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur may have kept Charles compartmentalized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Mercer amendment also contains a verification trigger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne flipped pages quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat trigger?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny attempted governance proxy within ninety days of the beneficiary\u2019s birth requires in-person identity confirmation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy wasn\u2019t that in the copy I reviewed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is in the sealed annex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a sealed annex?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeld by the trustee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Lauren\u2019s video could never have completed the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did Arthur try?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked suddenly alarmed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless he didn\u2019t know about the annex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles. Me. The senior trust officer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris immediately called Ruiz over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was already searching.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Victor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Arthur didn\u2019t know the annex existed, the failed video makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if someone inside told him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen he would know he needs you physically present.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n<p>The room seemed smaller.<\/p>\n<p>Lena understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe needs to get her to Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr get an authorized trust officer to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan they come here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d Marianne said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen that is safer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Victor said sharply.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the annex specifies confirmation at a trustee-controlled location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course it did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many locations?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew York.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSingapore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren\u2019s suitcase.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago to Seoul.<\/p>\n<p>Then Phnom Penh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Southeast Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Bell Strategic have in Cambodia?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz searched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegional consulting subsidiary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManufacturing contractors, not direct ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur could route someone through Phnom Penh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The missed flight no longer seemed random.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe Lauren was supposed to establish something abroad.<\/p>\n<p>A backup location.<\/p>\n<p>A proxy verification route.<\/p>\n<p>Or flee after the video.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes the Singapore trustee office have Mercer people?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked uneasy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles helped establish the branch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>The network had international depth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if the trustee verifies me in person?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can execute or reject any proxy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI reject Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I do that now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely, but the sealed annex may require the same identity procedure for a preemptive block.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo to protect myself from being impersonated, I may have to go to the institution he\u2019s trying to manipulate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere may be another route,\u201d Marianne said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmergency court order.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is slower.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow slow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have tomorrow\u2019s board meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Arthur may only need hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris checked the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan the board postpone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne looked at Victor on screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContractual deadlines tied to the sale proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen cancel the sale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoard authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re chairman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTemporarily stepped aside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUn-step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would look like interference in an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor once, I do not care how something looks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Then did not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can ask the board to delay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI no longer have unilateral authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, control had moved away from him.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe that was appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>He answered.<\/p>\n<p>Listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecure her office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret Hale is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe senior trust officer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen last seen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday evening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt her home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer husband says she left after receiving a work call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arthur again.<\/p>\n<p>Or someone using the system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas she involved in Lauren\u2019s video?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe submission was routed to her office but handled by another officer because she was absent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interesting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Margaret knew the sealed annex, Arthur may have taken her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019s face remained controlled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret would never help him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said that about Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris asked, \u201cWho knew Margaret personally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor answered too quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMet her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone.<\/p>\n<p>Always everyone.<\/p>\n<p>The network was not hidden because nobody knew each other.<\/p>\n<p>It was hidden because relationships were layered under respectable roles.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Nora.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens to tomorrow\u2019s vote if no proxy exists?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe independent trustee exercises its authority without a family representative on extraordinary matters until the issue is resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning Arthur loses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo all we need is prevent anyone from becoming my proxy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds simple.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Then Ruiz\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>She read a message and frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago police searched Margaret Hale\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey found an envelope addressed to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLocal officers haven\u2019t opened it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris instructed them to document and open it under warrant authority.<\/p>\n<p>We waited.<\/p>\n<p>Two minutes felt like twenty.<\/p>\n<p>Then Ruiz received photographs.<\/p>\n<p>The envelope contained a single sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Handwritten.<\/p>\n<p>Three lines.<\/p>\n<p>She read them aloud.<\/p>\n<p>If Arthur contacts you, do not believe he wants the trust.<\/p>\n<p>He wants what Victor hid inside it.<\/p>\n<p>Ask about Project Northstar.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Victor on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>His face had gone completely white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is Project Northstar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Harris leaned toward the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor finally spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was supposed to be buried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase chilled me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason Arthur Bell disappeared in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=8402\">Click here to continue reading: PART 23: Project Northstar Was Never About the Company\u2019s Money, and Victor\u2019s Hidden Files Revealed Why Arthur Needed Nora\u2019s Trust to Open It<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marianne called the trust company immediately. No one answered the private line she used. That frightened her more than I expected. \u201cIt\u2019s business hours.\u201d \u201cMaybe they\u2019re handling the security review.\u201d &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8401"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8441,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8401\/revisions\/8441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}