Chapter 6 - The Unraveling Web
Cassian stood up slowly, turning to face my mother with absolute disdain.
"I heard what you said to him out there," Cassian said, taking a step toward her. "Every single word. You called my son a defective burden. You treated him like trash."
"It was a misunderstanding!" Eleanor stammered, backing up against her attorney. "The stress of the event, my husband's illness—I was overwhelmed! Ask Evelyn! We have dedicated our resources to this child!"
"You tried to force me to surrender him back to the state yesterday, Mother," I interrupted, standing up to face her. "You threatened to cut off Father’s medical funding if I didn't get rid of him."
Cassian’s gaze shifted to Eleanor's attorney, who looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Who authorized the original land transfer of the coastal estate near the marina where Julian was found?" Cassian suddenly asked, his military mind connecting dots that had remained hidden for years.
Eleanor’s lawyer swallowed hard. "Admiral, that is private corporate business—"
"I am the commander of the Naval Investigative Service in this district," Cassian barked. "Answer the question, or I will have federal agents seize your firm's servers within the hour!"
"It... it was Whitmore Enterprises," the lawyer blurted out, pale with fear. "Mrs. Whitmore’s holding company bought the marina property three days after the boat accident."
I looked at my mother in complete horror. "Mother... what did you do?"
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"Nothing!" Eleanor panicked, her composure utterly shattering. "It was just a business acquisition! The land was cheap!"
"The land was cheap because the search was cut short," Cassian said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "You used your influence on the local coast guard board to alter the search coordinates so the marina property value would drop due to 'unresolved investigation status.' You bought it out from under the bank. And in doing so, you left my son stranded in a rural hospital unsearched for weeks!"
