Chapter 7 - THE THREAT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
I didn't answer immediately.
The corridor seemed suddenly colder.
"What does Victoria claim happened to my mother?"
Nathan exhaled.
"I don't know. She said there were medical records."
"Your mother is threatening me with medical records?"
"Madison, please don't make this worse."
I almost laughed.
"Worse than stealing my dress? Worse than forging my inheritance? Worse than taking twenty-four million dollars?"
Nathan went silent.
"Twenty-four million?"
I looked at Daniel.
He motioned for me to continue.
"Your mother knows exactly what I'm talking about."
"Madison, listen. She says your mother wasn't thinking clearly when she signed the original agreements."
"My mother was perfectly capable of making decisions."
"She was sick."
"She was dying. That doesn't mean she was incompetent."
Nathan lowered his voice.
"There's something else. My mother says your father has a recording."
"What recording?"
"An audio statement from your mother."
I stopped breathing.
"What does it say?"
"Apparently, she agreed to transfer the designs and the shares to the Caldwell family."
I shook my head.
"That's a lie."
"I don't know."
"Then why are you repeating it?"
"Because I thought you should know before the meeting."
I ended the call.
Daniel watched me carefully.
"Do you think such a recording exists?"
"My mother would never have signed away everything."
"That isn't what I asked."
I looked at the silver ledger.
"Yes. I think they have something."
Back at Maison Hayes, I spent the afternoon examining the documents.
The more I read, the clearer the pattern became.
Five years earlier, shortly after my mother's death, Richard had transferred money from the family trust into several accounts.
Some went to Victoria.
Some went to Caldwell Heritage Holdings.
And a substantial amount went toward purchasing Brittany's apartment.
The documents also showed that Nathan had been listed as a future beneficiary of one of the holding companies.
He might not have known about the theft.
But he had benefited from it.
At six that evening, my father arrived.
He walked into my office without knocking.
"Where is the silver ledger?"
I looked up.
"Hello to you too."
"Don't play games, Madison."
"Why are you so interested in it?"
He placed both hands on my desk.
"Because you don't understand what you're dealing with."
"Then explain it."
He looked older than I remembered.
His hair had turned almost completely gray.
His eyes were tired.
For a brief moment, I saw the father who used to carry me on his shoulders when I was little.
Then he spoke.
"Your mother was not the person you think she was."
I stiffened.
"What does that mean?"
"She made mistakes."
"Everyone does."
"She trusted the wrong people."
"Apparently, including you."
He flinched.
Then he removed a small flash drive from his coat.
"This is the recording Victoria mentioned."
I stared at it.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
"Because I want you to understand why I did what I did."
I didn't take it.
"Did you forge the trust documents?"
He looked away.
"Your mother wanted the money protected."
"From whom?"
"From you."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
I slowly stood.
"Why?"
"She believed you were too young to manage it."
"I was twenty-three."
"Exactly."
"Then why did you wait until two years after her death to change the documents?"
He said nothing.
I walked around the desk.
"Did you steal from her?"
His face tightened.
"I borrowed money."
"Twenty-four million dollars isn't borrowing."
"I intended to repay it."
"Did you?"
He looked down.
That was answer enough.
I finally took the flash drive.
"Leave."
"Madison—"
"Leave my office."
He stood there for several seconds.
Then he walked out.
After he left, Daniel connected the drive to an isolated computer.
An audio file appeared.
The recording began with my mother's voice.
Weak.
Tired.
But unmistakably hers.
I, Eleanor Hayes, agree that all original Bellamere designs will become the property of Caldwell Heritage Holdings...
I felt my stomach drop.
Then the recording continued.
...provided that the Caldwell family fulfills the following conditions...
There was a pause.
A sound like paper moving.
Then my mother's voice changed.
It became stronger.
More deliberate.
If these conditions are not fulfilled, this agreement is automatically void, and every asset remains the property of my daughter, Madison Hayes.
Daniel stopped the recording.
We looked at each other.
"Play it again," I whispered.
He did.
The conditions were specific.
The Caldwell family had to preserve my mother's original designs, pay all outstanding royalties, and maintain the trust without unauthorized withdrawals.
The documents proved they had violated every condition.
The agreement was void.
Victoria had been trying to hide that fact for years.
But there was one final sentence in the recording.
A sentence that made Daniel sit back in his chair.
And if Richard Hayes attempts to alter this agreement, he must be held accountable for the money he has already taken.
I looked at my father's empty chair.
Then at the silver ledger.
Tomorrow's shareholder meeting would expose Victoria.
But the evidence also implicated my father.
And suddenly, I understood that the wedding had never been the beginning of this betrayal.
It had been the moment they realized I was finally close to uncovering the truth.
At 9:17 p.m., an unknown number sent me a message.
Stop the meeting tomorrow. If you want to know what really happened to your mother, come alone to Bellamere at midnight.
A second message arrived seconds later.
It contained a photograph.
My mother.
Sitting in a hospital room.
And standing beside her bed was Victoria Caldwell.
But the date printed beneath the photograph was impossible.
May you like
It was taken three days before my mother died.
And I had been told Victoria had never visited her.
