"Investigate the Sawyer family case in Newton for me." The President called over one of his security agents and gave quiet instructions.
He'd decided to tackle this issue from the source. Bella had her own ideas, but she didn't voice them. He was the President, not her employee—he couldn't be directed around like a puppet.
Seeing that the President had his own plan, she stood back and watched.
These days, everything came down to commitment. When you really investigated something, really pursued it, you could make it happen.
The Sawyer family case wasn't exactly secret—it had just been ignored until now.
A few phone calls later, the previous cover-up looked absolutely ridiculous to federal investigators. By that evening, professionals had sorted, categorized, and compiled the entire case into written documents that landed in the President's hands.
This was a massacre.
Over a dozen self-proclaimed militiamen, with no legal authority or permits whatsoever, had conducted a slaughter inside the Sawyer family home.
Afterward, they burned the house down. Some even posed for photos holding severed limbs torn from the dead, celebrating like it was a trophy hunt. This went beyond "rough frontier spirit"—these people were thugs, murderers.
"My God! These... these...!" Living in a peaceful era, Heather couldn't comprehend that the blood-soaked scene in the photos had happened so close to her own life.
In one photo, a man with rotten teeth held a human leg high in the air, cheering at the camera. Around him in the ruins lay scattered corpses—men, women, elderly, and children.
This was a genuine massacre. The perpetrators had never faced proper legal punishment. According to the town's official records, the incident was just "a minor disagreement" that happened when a dozen drunk militiamen got into "a bit of an argument" with the Sawyer family. As if it were nothing more than a trivial scuffle.
Emboldened by alcohol, the militia had murdered over a dozen men, women, and children. They treated it like an insignificant event, and their lives afterward continued without the slightest disruption.
In the twenty years that followed, some of these men drank themselves to death in the streets. Some ended up in prison. Others became successful—wealthy businessmen, government officials. The bloody massacre seemed like nothing more than a game to them, a bit of drunken entertainment. Once the booze wore off, everyone just went home.
"These scum must face the full severity of the law!" The President declared angrily.
Though no one pulled out notebooks to officially record his words, everyone present nodded in agreement.
Prosecuting the crimes and investigating the massacre could wait—after all, twenty years had already passed. A few more days wouldn't matter. The urgent issue was still Heather's situation. If she kept delaying, the probate could drag on until the estate got buried under fees, creditor claims, and legal deadlines.
The only person present who understood the law *and* had the power to navigate it was the President. If he said there was no solution, then legally there truly wasn't one.
"Let me think... don't worry, I'll figure something out..." After years as a lawyer, then representative, then President, he could easily produce four or five hundred thousand dollars. But the presidential position was simply too visible—thousands of people watched his every move. Even a fart got recorded somewhere. When it came to money, he had to be extremely careful.
Besides, he wanted to leverage this entire situation to boost his approval ratings. The White House bombing, with the Vice President, Speaker, and numerous other high-ranking officials killed, had hurt him badly. The pressure from all sides was immense.
Texas had always been Republican territory, and the President was a Democrat. If he could use this incident to gain some support in Texas, the pressure within his own party would ease considerably.
Though the case still had some questionable points—including tourist reports that the Sawyer family had harbored a serial killer—the President didn't think that mattered much. You couldn't just murder someone's entire family because one member was a criminal. Those were two separate cases. The militia had definitely broken the law, without question.
Heather's situation could lead back to the massacre. As one of the victims, the President could play the sympathy card and gain public support. This worked for both public and private interests. If handled properly, his damaged reputation would recover to some degree.
The President took this matter seriously. The next day, he produced a workaround solution.
"Heather, Hobbs and I are probably your only living family. We share the same blood. But you know my position—I face a lot of complications... Hobbs, on the other hand, has more flexibility. If you're willing, you could establish a documented family relationship through Hobbs—live with him, have him vouch for you in the probate proceedings. That gives you a direct family witness the court will accept. After that, the legal path to claiming your inheritance gets much clearer."
"Me?" The hulking Hobbs Sawyer hadn't expected to get dragged into this.
Heather was also confused. What kind of arrangement was this?
She hadn't entertained fantasies about moving into the White House. The President had his own family—what was she, just a distant relative? She was nobody in that equation.
But this big guy next to her? He seemed a bit... simple...
Bella thought the plan sounded solid. It was like establishing guardianship—perfectly legal, no issues whatsoever.
Sure, Heather was technically an adult and didn't need a guardian. But living with your own relatives and having them testify to your family connection? No one could say that was wrong.
With this maneuver, she could get solid family documentation, someone to stand with her in probate court, then legally establish her claim to inherit her great-grandmother's estate.
The probate costs would still need to be paid, but with proper family documentation and legal standing, many of the disputed fees and challenges would drop away. Instead of losing 40-50% of the estate's value to legal limbo, she might only lose 15-20%. If everyone pooled their resources, the problem would be solved.
Bella broke down the implications for Heather, explaining every detail. The well-endowed young woman finally realized just how complicated this all was, but saving a huge chunk of money was definitely good news.
"You're at Stanford? No problem—I'm with the LAFD Air Operations, right in Los Angeles. You can come stay with me anytime you want." Hobbs Sawyer welcomed Heather warmly.
However, the big guy was broke too: "I'm in the middle of a divorce right now, so financially..."
His regular income all went toward bodybuilding, and he was right in the middle of divorce proceedings. Asking him to produce a large sum of money? He genuinely didn't have it.
The President stayed quiet. He'd definitely participate, but his involvement had to be measured. Playing up the victim angle, even crying on camera—that was fine. But touching money? Absolutely not.
Fortunately, Bella had a solution.
"Easy. I have lawyer friends who can delay the will proceedings for a while. First, let Heather and Hobbs establish their family relationship, then we sue those murderers and use the compensation to pay the estate taxes!"
Lawsuits and compensation claims—Bella was a professional! She was *really* good at this!
You murdered over a dozen members of Heather's family. How could you not pay compensation? Pay up first, then head to the injection chamber. Texas had the death penalty.