Chapter 4
I called Samuel before Marcus left the hotel.
“Find everything connected to Victor Hayes.”
Samuel was quiet for a moment.
“Evelyn, I've already begun.”
I looked at my son.
“Why?”
“Because Victor's name appeared in correspondence from your husband's old business records.”
My stomach tightened.
“What correspondence?”
“Documents submitted shortly before Daniel died.”
For fifteen years, I had believed every financial matter involving my husband had been settled.
Daniel was a careful man.
He kept records.
He paid bills on time.
He never made a promise he couldn't keep.
When he died unexpectedly from a heart attack, I spent months sorting through his papers.
Samuel helped me.
We organized the company.
Protected the house.
Established the family trust.
I thought I knew everything.
Now I wasn't certain.
The following morning, I met Samuel at his office.
He had already gathered several folders.
One contained the original trust agreement.
Another held correspondence from Daniel's business.
The third contained documents recently submitted by Victor Hayes.
Samuel placed them on the table.
“Victor claims Daniel entered a partnership agreement involving a commercial development project.”
I frowned.
“Daniel never mentioned anything like that.”
“The agreement appears incomplete.”
“Then why is Victor raising it now?”
Samuel adjusted his glasses.
“Because he claims the partnership may have retained rights to certain assets.”
I stared at him.
“What assets?”
“The warehouse properties held by the trust.”
My chest tightened.
The warehouses were among the most valuable properties Daniel left behind.
Their rental income supported the trust and helped fund Noah's future.
“Can Victor take them?”
“Not based on an unsupported claim. We'll examine the documents and respond appropriately.”
I nodded.
Then Samuel showed me the signature.
My husband's name appeared at the bottom.
Daniel Carter.
But something looked wrong.
Daniel always wrote the final letter of his surname with a long upward curve.
This signature ended abruptly.
I touched the page.
“That doesn't look like his signature.”
Samuel nodded.
“I noticed.”
I stared at him.
“Is it forged?”
“We need proper examination before making that conclusion.”
I understood his caution.
But my instincts were screaming.
Victor had resurfaced after fifteen years.
Vanessa had suddenly become obsessed with the family's property.
Marcus had signed financial documents he didn't understand.
And I had been thrown out of my own home during a birthday party attended by Victor.
Too many things were connected.
I leaned back.
“What do you recommend?”
“First, preserve everything. Second, notify the relevant financial institutions that the trust did not authorize any pledge of its property. Third, review the old records.”
I nodded.
“And Marcus?”
Samuel looked sympathetic.
“He needs to be truthful about what he signed.”
That afternoon, I called my sister, Lorraine.
She was seventy-two and lived in Charlotte.
We had always been close.
But over the past several years, Vanessa had made family gatherings difficult.
Lorraine stopped visiting the mansion after Vanessa accused her of being intrusive.
When I explained what happened at Noah's party, she became furious.
“She threw your coat into the yard?”
“Yes.”
“And Marcus did nothing?”
I swallowed.
“He asked me to leave.”
Lorraine was silent.
Then she whispered, “Daniel would have been heartbroken.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“I know.”
She took a breath.
“Evelyn, do you remember what Daniel said about Victor Hayes?”
I sat straighter.
“What?”
“Years ago, Daniel told my husband that Victor had tried to pressure him into a questionable investment.”
I closed my eyes.
“I remember the argument.”
Lorraine continued.
“Daniel said he would never allow that man near the family's property.”
My stomach tightened.
“Did he say why?”
“He believed Victor was hiding debts from investors.”
I wrote everything down.
Then Lorraine said something unexpected.
“Evelyn, there's something else you should know.”
“What?”
“Vanessa called me two months ago.”
I froze.
“Why?”
“She asked whether Daniel had children from another relationship.”
I stared at the phone.
“What?”
Lorraine sighed.
“I told her that was nonsense.”
My heart pounded.
“Why would she ask that?”
“She said she was helping Marcus organize family records.”
I closed my eyes.
Vanessa had been searching for weaknesses in the trust.
Possible heirs.
Disputed ownership.
Anything she could use.
“Did she ask anything else?”
“Yes.”
Lorraine hesitated.
“She wanted to know whether Daniel had ever planned to leave the warehouses directly to Marcus.”
I gripped the desk.
“And what did you say?”
“I told her to speak to Samuel.”
I exhaled.
“Thank you.”
After the call, I sat alone.
I thought about Marcus.
When he was a little boy, he loved helping Daniel in the workshop.
He followed his father everywhere.
He wanted to understand how buildings were made.
How businesses worked.
How money could be used to create something lasting.
Daniel adored him.
I remembered one evening when Marcus was twelve.
He asked whether he would inherit the company someday.
Daniel smiled.
“Maybe. But first you have to learn that owning something means taking care of it.”
Marcus laughed.
“I'll take care of everything.”
I wondered when he had forgotten that lesson.
That evening, I called the hotel restaurant and ordered soup.
I wasn't hungry.
But I needed to eat.
As I sat beside the window, my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
Mrs. Carter, you don't know me, but I worked for Vanessa.
I stared at it.
Another message followed.
I saw documents you need to know about.
My heartbeat quickened.
Who is this?
The reply came immediately.
My name is Jasmine Price. I was her assistant until last week.
I read the message twice.
Then another appeared.
Vanessa fired me because I refused to alter financial statements.
My hands went cold.
I called Samuel.
He advised me not to arrange a private meeting and offered to contact Jasmine through his office.
I agreed.
Twenty minutes later, Jasmine sent one final message.
Please tell your attorney to ask about the birthday party guest list.
I stared at the screen.
Then she added:
Vanessa didn't invite those people to celebrate Noah.
She invited them because she planned to announce something about the mansion.
I sat completely still.
May you like
My grandson's birthday had been used as a business event.
And I had been thrown out before the announcement could begin.
