Chapter 10 - The Forged Documents
Six months after the trial, I found something in Grandpa's safe.
A second will.
It was dated two years before his death. And it said something different.
"In the event of my death, I leave everything to my son, Robert Chen."
My father.
I stared at the document. My hands were shaking.
I called Harold.
"This will is a forgery," I said. "Grandpa would never leave anything to my father."
Harold was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. My grandfather hated my father. He told me he was going to cut him out of his will."
"Then we need to contest it. But first, we need to prove it's a forgery."
"How?"
"The signature. The date. The witnesses. We need to examine all of it."
I called Elena.
"I need a forensic document examiner," I said. "The best in the country."
"I know someone," she said. "He's expensive. But he's worth it."
"Money isn't a problem."
Elena gave me a name. Dr. Samuel Green. He had testified in hundreds of forgery cases. He had a reputation for being meticulous.
I hired him the next day.
Dr. Green examined the will for three weeks. He compared the signature to other documents Grandpa had signed. He analyzed the ink. He studied the paper.
Then he called me with his findings.
"The will is a forgery," he said. "The signature was traced. The date was altered. And the witnesses are fake. Two of them don't exist. The third is dead."
I felt a wave of relief. "Can you testify in court?"
"Absolutely."
I called Harold.
"We have proof," I said. "The will is fake."
"Then we go to court."
The hearing was scheduled for six weeks later.
My father, who had been released on bail, showed up with his lawyer. He looked thinner. Older. His eyes were hollow.
Victor Cruz tried to argue that the will was legitimate. He tried to claim that Grandpa had changed his mind. He tried to discredit Dr. Green.
But the evidence was overwhelming.
The judge ruled in my favor. The forged will was invalid. Everything went to me.
My father was arrested for forgery.
He would spend the next five years in prison.
I walked out of the courthouse and into the sunlight.
I thought about Grandpa. About his smile. About his laugh. About the way he had always believed in me.
I thought about my parents. About their greed. About their lies.
I thought about my brother. About his arrogance. About his crimes.
Then I thought about myself.
I was nineteen years old. I had a house. A trust fund. A future.
And I had a promise to keep.
I was going to live the life Grandpa wanted for me.
May you like
I was going to be strong.
I was going to be free.
