Chapter 5
My father stared at Harold as if he had been struck.
"Daniel?" he whispered.
Harold nodded.
"I know how difficult this is."
Difficult didn't begin to describe it.
Daniel Cross had been part of our family for as long as I could remember.
He came to birthday parties.
He bought me Christmas presents.
He stood beside my father at my mother's funeral.
When I was little, I called him Uncle Daniel.
And now Harold was telling us he'd helped betray my mother while she was dying.
I felt sick.
"Show us everything," I said.
Harold opened the leather folder.
Inside were bank records, consulting agreements, and handwritten notes.
He pointed to several transactions.
"Victoria controlled one of the consulting companies. Daniel approved payments through a separate investment partnership."
Dad shook his head.
"Daniel told me those payments covered construction delays."
"They didn't."
Harold slid another page across the table.
"Some invoices were duplicated. Others described work that was never completed."
I looked at the numbers.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Again and again.
"How did Mom find out?"
"She noticed the project costs weren't matching the actual progress. She asked me to examine the accounts."
Dad rubbed his forehead.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Harold looked ashamed.
"Because Lorraine asked me not to until she had enough proof."
My father closed his eyes.
I knew what he was thinking.
My mother had been fighting cancer.
She had been weak.
Exhausted.
Some days she could barely get out of bed.
And somehow, she had still been trying to protect the company.
Protect my father.
Protect me.
"Did she know Daniel was involved?" I asked.
Harold hesitated.
"She suspected it."
"Did she confront him?"
"Not that I know."
Dad looked up.
"What happened to the investigation?"
Harold's shoulders sagged.
"After Lorraine died, Daniel told me you wanted to close the matter."
Dad stared at him.
"I never said that."
"I know that now."
The room became silent.
Harold swallowed.
"He showed me a memorandum bearing your signature."
Dad looked at the document.
"That's not my signature."
I leaned forward.
The signature resembled my father's handwriting.
But the final letter looked wrong.
My father noticed it too.
"Daniel forged this?"
Harold nodded slowly.
"I believe so."
My father pushed back his chair.
For a moment, I thought he would shout.
Instead, he covered his face.
"That man carried my wife's casket."
The words broke my heart.
I moved beside him.
"Dad..."
He looked up at me.
His eyes were wet.
"I trusted him with everything."
I took his hand.
"I know."
He shook his head.
"No. You don't understand. After your mother died, Daniel helped me keep the company running. He told me I needed to focus on you."
I swallowed.
"And he used that trust."
Dad nodded.
I looked at Harold.
"Why are you coming forward now?"
He removed another envelope.
"Because Victoria contacted me last week."
My pulse quickened.
"What did she want?"
"She asked whether I still had Lorraine's original records."
Dad straightened.
"What did you tell her?"
"That I didn't."
"Was that true?"
Harold shook his head.
"No."
He placed the envelope in front of me.
"Your mother left instructions."
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a letter addressed to me.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My mother's.
My hands began trembling.
I had not seen her handwriting in years.
I unfolded the paper.
My dearest Nia,
If Harold gives you this letter, it means the questions I was asking were never fully answered.
I hope that by the time you read it, you are living a happy life.
I hope you have chosen your own path.
And I hope your father has learned that loving you does not mean controlling every decision you make.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Even while dying, my mother had understood us both.
I kept reading.
There are people who mistake kindness for weakness.
There are people who see trust as something to exploit.
I have learned that being wealthy does not protect a family from betrayal.
Sometimes it attracts the very people who will destroy it.
If anything happens to these records, remember that truth does not disappear simply because someone powerful wants it hidden.
I love you, my beautiful girl.
Always,
Mom.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Dad reached for my shoulder.
I leaned into him.
And together, we cried.
After a while, Harold spoke quietly.
"There's more."
I lifted my head.
He placed a small USB drive on the table.
"Lorraine recorded a conversation shortly before her final hospitalization."
Dad stared at it.
"With whom?"
"Victoria."
My heart pounded.
"What's on it?"
"I haven't listened to the entire recording. Lorraine asked me to preserve it unless it became necessary."
Dad looked at me.
I nodded.
"Play it."
Harold connected the drive to a laptop.
My mother's voice filled the room.
Calm.
Weak.
But unmistakably hers.
"Victoria, I know about the payments."
A woman's voice answered.
"You don't know anything."
Victoria.
Younger.
But just as cold.
My mother continued.
"I have the invoices. I know Daniel approved them."
Victoria laughed.
"Then you should understand how dangerous it would be to accuse him."
Dad gripped the edge of the table.
My mother's voice remained steady.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm warning you to think about your family."
I felt cold all over.
Then Victoria said something that made my stomach twist.
"Richard will never believe you over Daniel."
My mother answered softly.
"He will when he sees the evidence."
The recording stopped.
Harold looked confused.
"That's where the original file ends."
I stared at the screen.
"Why?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
Dad stood.
"We need to take this to an attorney."
I nodded.
"And law enforcement."
Harold agreed.
But before we could leave, Evelyn entered the room.
Her expression was tense.
"Richard, I'm sorry to interrupt."
Dad turned.
"What is it?"
"Daniel Cross is downstairs."
My heart stopped.
Dad stared at her.
"Daniel?"
She nodded.
"He says he heard about the incident involving Nia."
I tightened my arms around Lily.
Evelyn continued.
"He's demanding to see you immediately."
Dad looked toward the laptop.
Then at Harold.
For the first time, I saw something like fear in my father's eyes.
"Don't let him upstairs," he said.
Evelyn hesitated.
"There's another problem."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She swallowed.
"Daniel says Victoria wasn't acting alone when she confronted Nia."
May you like
The room went silent.
Then Evelyn added, "He claims someone inside this hotel arranged for Nia to be in that lounge at that exact time."
