Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 178

But Madeline trusted the powerful man sitting before her—which meant Liliana was an imposter parading around with her identity!

Her biological mother was Rosemary Monroe, an elite CEO born into high society, and the Monroe family had indeed been a legendary dynasty in the city decades ago; even the city's most famous botanical garden was originally a private estate donated by the Monroes.

She really was a billionaire heiress!

Before she could even begin to process her new reality, his cold voice cut through her thoughts. "Your parents, specifically my aunt, left you an astronomical fortune. It includes massive shares and hundreds of billions of dollars locked in The Monroe Trust. The will dictates that you can claim it at any time after your twenty-seventh birthday. If you die, the entire estate gets liquidated and donated to fifty-six different charities."

Madeline was twenty-six, less than two months away from her twenty-seventh birthday, meaning she was incredibly close to claiming the inheritance.

But she wasn't naive; connecting the dots from Quentin's earlier warning, she realized that trying to claim the money would paint a massive target on her back.

"Who is managing my inheritance right now, and who is benefiting from the trust?" she asked.

Quentin looked faintly amused by her sharp instincts.

"The shares are being held by the Group's core stakeholders, who collect massive annual dividends as management fees. The trust is controlled by your only legal next-of-kin, Eleanor Prescott—your adoptive grandmother—who reaps astronomical profits from it every year."

Madeline's eyes widened in realization. "So as long as I remain officially 'missing,' they can keep siphoning off my mother's fortune. Is that it?"

Quentin nodded. "Exactly."

Madeline's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Are you one of those core stakeholders?"

Quentin stared at her with a lethal, icy glare and said nothing.

No matter how brave Madeline was, a cold sweat broke out on her back.

He sounded utterly disgusted by her attempt to bridge the gap between them.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier..." she apologized.

"It's fine. I am a core stakeholder, and my grandmother is the primary beneficiary of the trust. It's completely natural for you to be paranoid. In fact, you're incredibly perceptive."

Madeline choked on her words, unable to tell if he was genuinely angry or just stating facts.

Before she could figure it out, his deep voice resonated through the room. "Do you want to claim your inheritance and take control of the trust?"

Madeline stared at him intently. "I'm not old enough to inherit it yet..."

"I meant when the time comes," he pressed. "Or do you want to walk away from it all? You could just keep living your current life, because the price of stepping into that world is something you cannot afford."