VANESSA: "Did you sleep at all?"
DANIEL: "Not much."
VANESSA: "I'm sorry."
Daniel looked at her.
DANIEL: "You don't have to apologize for the entire situation every five minutes. What I need from you now is honesty."
VANESSA: "I understand."
DANIEL: "Yesterday, you told me there were things you had never explained. Today, I want every detail. Even the things you think might make me angry."
Vanessa nodded.
She placed her cup on the counter and took a seat.
VANESSA: "When I first joined the investment company, Richard presented himself as someone who had a lot of experience. He knew how to speak to investors, how to negotiate contracts, and how to make people believe in his ideas."
DANIEL: "And you trusted him?"
VANESSA: "Completely. At first, everything was legitimate. We had actual properties, real investors, and several projects that were moving forward. I believed I was helping build a successful business."
DANIEL: "When did things change?"
VANESSA: "About a year after the company started. Richard began asking me to sign documents without giving me enough time to review them. He said everything was routine. Sometimes he would tell me that the investors were waiting and that delaying the paperwork could damage the business."
DANIEL: "And you signed?"
VANESSA: "Some of them, yes."
Daniel looked disappointed.
VANESSA: "I know how that sounds. But I didn't understand that some of those documents were connected to transactions I had never approved."
DANIEL: "You should never sign something you don't understand."
VANESSA: "I know that now."
She paused.
VANESSA: "The day I realized something was seriously wrong, I found a payment that had been transferred to a company that had no connection to our project. I asked Richard about it. He became furious and told me I was interfering with matters that were above my position."
DANIEL: "What happened afterward?"
VANESSA: "He asked me to attend a meeting. Jonathan was there. So was another man whose name I couldn't remember at first."
Daniel immediately became more attentive.
DANIEL: "Who was the other man?"
VANESSA: "I don't remember his full name. But he was older, and Richard treated him with a lot of respect."
DANIEL: "Did you see any documents from that meeting?"
VANESSA: "Yes. There was a financial authorization form. I remember seeing three signatures."
Daniel leaned forward.
DANIEL: "Three?"
VANESSA: "Richard's, Jonathan's, and the third person's."
DANIEL: "What did the third signature look like?"
Vanessa thought for a moment.
VANESSA: "It was short. Two words, I think. The first name began with an M."
Daniel remained silent.
He had a feeling that the mysterious signature might be connected to someone he knew.
But he did not want to jump to conclusions.
DANIEL: "We need to look at the original document again."
VANESSA: "I can show you."
She stood up and went toward the living room, where Marcus had left the envelope the previous night.
Daniel followed her.
Marcus was already there, sitting at the dining table with his laptop open.
MARCUS: "Good morning."
DANIEL: "Did you find anything?"
MARCUS: "I spent most of the night organizing the records. There are several transactions that deserve closer examination."
He turned the laptop around.
On the screen was a list of payments arranged by date.
MARCUS: "Look at these three transfers. They were made within four days of each other. All three went to different companies, but the authorization was approved by the same group of people."
Daniel examined the entries.
DANIEL: "And who authorized them?"
Marcus opened another document.
MARCUS: "Richard, Jonathan, and someone whose name has been partially covered in this copy."
Vanessa approached the screen.
VANESSA: "That's the document I remember."
Marcus enlarged the image.
The first two names were clearly visible.
The third was incomplete.
However, the initials remained.
M.R.
Daniel stared at the letters.
DANIEL: "M.R."
MARCUS: "Does that mean anything to you?"
Daniel did not answer immediately.
He thought about the people he had worked with over the years.
Several names came to mind, but only one person seemed particularly significant.
His older brother, Michael Reed.
Michael had been involved in Daniel's earliest business ventures. He had helped him establish important relationships and had introduced him to several investors.
Although they now operated independently, Daniel still considered him one of the few people he could trust without hesitation.
But there was another problem.
Michael had once worked in property investment.
And six years earlier, he had spent several months overseas.
Daniel slowly leaned back.
DANIEL: "No. That doesn't make sense."
Vanessa looked at him.
VANESSA: "What is it?"
DANIEL: "I think I know someone with those initials."
Marcus studied his expression.
MARCUS: "Who?"
Daniel hesitated.
DANIEL: "My brother."
The room became completely silent.
Vanessa looked shocked.
MARCUS: "Are you certain?"
DANIEL: "Michael Reed. He worked in property investment years ago. But I don't know whether he ever had any connection to Richard."
Vanessa looked toward the document again.
VANESSA: "I remember Richard mentioning someone named Michael. But I never knew his surname."
Daniel stood up.
He walked toward the window, trying to control his thoughts.
He remembered Michael helping him when he was struggling financially.
He remembered the countless conversations they had shared about business, family, and their future.
Michael had been there when Daniel started his first company.
He had attended his birthday celebrations.