Chapter 3
I had never seen Robert Bennett look so frightened.
Not when he walked away from his daughter years earlier.
Not when Miriam confronted him about unpaid child support.
Not even when Elena cried on her eighth birthday because he'd promised to visit and never appeared.
But the moment Nathan mentioned the wedding contract, Robert's confidence disappeared.
"That's impossible," he said.
I stared at him.
"Why?"
He swallowed.
"Because I never signed anything."
I folded my arms.
"Neither did I."
Elena was still holding the phone.
Nathan's worried voice came through the speaker.
"Elena, the venue says the change request came from Patricia."
I looked at Robert.
His eyes widened.
Patricia.
Again.
I held out my hand.
"Let me speak to Nathan."
Elena passed me the phone.
"Nathan, it's Daniel."
"Mr. Carter, I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening."
"Don't apologize. Tell me exactly what they said."
He took a breath.
"The venue received revised billing instructions yesterday."
I frowned.
"Yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Who authorized them?"
"They said Patricia submitted the paperwork on behalf of the wedding party."
My jaw tightened.
"Did they verify my consent?"
"Apparently not."
I rubbed my forehead.
I had been the original guarantor.
My signature was on the venue agreement.
Any change affecting my obligations should have required proper authorization.
"Tell the venue not to process any further changes until the parties review everything."
Nathan agreed.
Then he asked quietly, "Is Elena okay?"
I looked at my stepdaughter.
She stood beside the table, crying silently.
"No," I answered.
"But we're going to help her."
When I ended the call, Elena looked at me.
Her expression was different now.
The anger from earlier had disappeared.
She looked like the little girl who used to come running to me whenever something frightened her.
"Daniel?"
I waited.
"Did you really cancel the payments?"
I nodded.
"Two scheduled payments. The others are under review."
Her lips trembled.
"Can the wedding still happen?"
I looked at her.
"I don't know yet."
She covered her face.
I wanted to hold her.
Every instinct inside me screamed to pull her into my arms and promise everything would be okay.
But I couldn't make promises without understanding what had happened.
Robert suddenly moved toward the door.
"I have some calls to make."
I stepped in front of him.
"You're not leaving this conversation unfinished."
He glared.
"Get out of my way."
"Tell your daughter what happened to her inheritance."
Elena lowered her hands.
"Dad, please."
Robert looked at her.
For a moment, he seemed ashamed.
Then he sighed.
"My business failed."
Miriam stared at him.
"What business?"
"A transportation company."
I frowned.
Robert had told Elena he owned several successful businesses.
He posted pictures beside expensive vehicles.
He wore designer watches.
He talked constantly about investments.
Now he looked exhausted.
"I borrowed money to keep the company operating," he continued.
Elena swallowed.
"From my trust?"
Robert nodded.
"I intended to pay it back."
I felt anger rise.
"Who authorized the withdrawals?"
He hesitated.
"The account was under my control while Elena was younger."
Miriam shook her head.
"That doesn't mean the money belonged to you."
"I know."
Elena stared at him.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
He lowered his eyes.
"Because I was ashamed."
I looked at the documents.
Something still didn't fit.
The proposed transfer of my shopping plaza had no legitimate connection to Elena's inheritance.
Unless someone was trying to replace the missing funds using my property.
I held up the paperwork.
"Was Patricia helping you cover the shortfall?"
Robert looked away.
I continued.
"Did you promise her a share of my plaza?"
"No."
"Then why is her company named here?"
He said nothing.
I stepped closer.
"Robert, you're running out of lies."
His face tightened.
"Don't talk to me like I'm a criminal."
I stared at him.
"Then stop behaving like someone hiding evidence."
Miriam touched my arm.
"Daniel."
I took a breath.
She was right.
We needed facts.
Not another shouting match.
I picked up my phone and called my attorney, Samuel Price.
Samuel had handled my property transactions for nearly fifteen years.
He answered immediately.
"Daniel, everything okay?"
"No."
I explained what we'd discovered.
He asked me to photograph the documents and send them securely.
I did.
Then he said something that made my stomach turn.
"Daniel, don't sign anything. Don't transfer money. And preserve every original document."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because this may involve attempted financial fraud."
I looked at Robert.
He was staring at the floor.
Samuel continued.
"I'll begin reviewing the property records and wedding contracts. We may need independent investigators."
I thanked him.
After the call, I turned toward Elena.
"Sweetheart, I need to ask you something."
She looked up.
"Have Robert or Patricia asked you to sign any documents recently?"
She hesitated.
My heartbeat quickened.
"Elena?"
She nodded.
"Some paperwork."
Miriam gasped.
"What paperwork?"
Elena wiped her face.
"Patricia said it was for the wedding."
I felt cold.
"What kind?"
"Vendor authorizations. Payment approvals. Insurance forms."
I looked at Robert.
His face had gone pale.
"Did you read them?"
Elena shook her head.
"Not all of them."
My chest tightened.
"Do you have copies?"
"They're in my email."
I took a slow breath.
"Send them to Samuel."
Elena nodded.
Then she whispered, "Daniel, did I do something terrible?"
I looked at her.
My anger softened.
"No, sweetheart."
She started crying again.
I continued.
"But you may have signed something you didn't understand. We need to find out what."
She nodded.
Miriam wrapped an arm around her.
For a moment, I watched them together.
The woman I'd loved for twenty-one years.
The daughter I'd raised.
The family I'd worked so hard to protect.
And the man standing beside our front door, hiding the truth.
I realized my greatest fear wasn't losing the wedding money.
It was losing the family I'd built.
But then Samuel called back.
His voice was urgent.
"Daniel, I've reviewed the documents Elena sent."
My heart tightened.
"What did you find?"
He paused.
"One of them isn't a wedding form."
I looked toward Elena.
"What is it?"
"A limited power of attorney."
I closed my eyes.
"For what?"
Samuel's voice became serious.
"It purports to authorize certain financial transactions involving Elena's inherited assets."
My stomach dropped.
I stared at Robert.
He looked as though he might collapse.
Then Samuel added something worse.
"Daniel, the document names Patricia Wells as the authorized representative."
I felt my hands begin trembling.
"Why would Elena authorize that?"
Samuel hesitated.
"That's exactly what we need to determine."
Elena looked terrified.
"Daniel, what does that mean?"
I turned toward her.
"It means someone may have used your wedding preparations to get control over your money."
May you like
She began crying.
And as I held the phone, I realized tomorrow's wedding was no longer the biggest problem we faced.
