Lauren spun around, instantly rearranging her face into horror. “Damian—she fell—I was helping—”
“I heard you.” For a split second, her expression hardened. Then Evelyn whispered the words that shattered everything: “She does this… when you’re gone.”
Damian reached for his phone to call police — and that’s when he saw it. A folder on the coffee table. POWER OF ATTORNEY. His mother’s name printed neatly at the top. His fiancée’s name beneath it. And a pen — uncapped.
Lauren’s composure didn’t crack the way he expected. Instead, she straightened. “You don’t understand legal matters,” she said coolly. “This is for protection. In case something happens to you.”
“To me?” Damian asked quietly.
Lauren walked toward him, lowering her voice. “You run a high-risk business. Lawsuits happen. Accidents happen. If you were gone, someone needs control. Your mother isn’t capable.”
Evelyn shook her head weakly. “She said if I didn’t sign… she’d tell you I hit her.”
Silence swallowed the room. Lauren’s jaw tightened. “She’s confused. She forgets things.”
Damian crouched beside his mother. “Did you sign anything?” A pause. A tremble. “Yes.”
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