He had even given a speech at Daniel's engagement party.
Could the same man have been involved in the financial scandal?
Daniel refused to believe it without proof.
DANIEL: "I need to speak to him."
MARCUS: "I wouldn't recommend confronting him yet."
DANIEL: "He's my brother."
MARCUS: "That's exactly why you need to be careful."
Daniel turned toward him.
DANIEL: "Are you suggesting I should pretend nothing is happening?"
MARCUS: "No. I'm suggesting that we establish the facts before giving anyone an opportunity to destroy evidence."
Vanessa nodded.
VANESSA: "Marcus is right. If Michael is involved, he might know that we're looking at the records."
Daniel looked at her.
DANIEL: "You expect me to believe that my own brother could be involved in something like this?"
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
VANESSA: "I don't know what to believe anymore."
Daniel took a deep breath.
DANIEL: "Neither do I."
After several minutes, he decided to contact a financial investigator Marcus had recommended.
His name was Robert Hayes.
Robert had spent more than twenty years examining complicated financial disputes and helping legal teams understand suspicious transactions.
Marcus sent him a message and explained that they needed an urgent consultation.
Robert agreed to meet them that afternoon.
Before leaving, Daniel made one important decision.
He would not contact Jonathan.
He would not call Richard.
And he would not tell Michael that they had discovered the initials on the old documents.
For the first time, Daniel understood that patience might be more valuable than anger.
At eleven thirty, his phone rang.
The caller was Michael.
Daniel stared at the screen.
For several seconds, he considered allowing the call to go unanswered.
But he eventually picked it up.
DANIEL: "Hello."
MICHAEL: "Morning, brother. How are you?"
DANIEL: "I'm fine."
MICHAEL: "You sound tired. Everything okay?"
DANIEL: "Just a busy night."
MICHAEL: "I understand. Listen, I wanted to ask whether you're available for lunch tomorrow. There are a few business matters I'd like to discuss."
Daniel looked toward Vanessa.
She was standing nearby, listening.
DANIEL: "What kind of business matters?"
MICHAEL: "Nothing urgent. Just something involving an old investment opportunity."
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
DANIEL: "An investment opportunity?"
MICHAEL: "Yes. I thought we might be able to work together again."
Daniel remained silent.
MICHAEL: "Are you there?"
DANIEL: "Yes. Tomorrow might work."
MICHAEL: "Excellent. I'll arrange everything."
DANIEL: "Michael?"
MICHAEL: "Yes?"
DANIEL: "Have you heard from Jonathan recently?"
There was a brief pause.
MICHAEL: "Jonathan Reed?"
DANIEL: "Yes."
MICHAEL: "Not recently. Why?"
DANIEL: "Just asking."
MICHAEL: "Is there a problem?"
DANIEL: "No. Nothing important."
Michael laughed softly.
MICHAEL: "You know you can always talk to me, Daniel. Whatever happens, we're family."
Daniel looked at the phone.
DANIEL: "I know."
The call ended.
Daniel placed the phone on the table.
MARCUS: "What did he say?"
DANIEL: "He wants to meet tomorrow to discuss an investment opportunity."
Vanessa looked worried.
VANESSA: "Do you think he knows?"
DANIEL: "I don't know."
Marcus slowly closed his laptop.
MARCUS: "Then we have less time than I thought."
That afternoon, the three of them met Robert Hayes at a private office in the business district.
Robert was a calm, experienced man who rarely reacted emotionally to the information presented to him.
He listened carefully as Vanessa explained the history of the investment company.
Daniel provided copies of the documents and described the messages he had received from Jonathan.
Marcus showed him the financial spreadsheet and the recordings.
Robert examined everything without interrupting.
After nearly forty minutes, he finally leaned back in his chair.
ROBERT: "I want to make one thing clear. What we have here is not enough to accuse anyone of a crime. But there are several inconsistencies that deserve a proper investigation."
DANIEL: "What kind of inconsistencies?"
ROBERT: "The payment records show transfers to companies that appear unrelated to the original project. Some authorization dates also seem inconsistent with the meeting records."
MARCUS: "Could the signatures have been used without proper approval?"
ROBERT: "It's possible. But we would need original documents and independent verification."
Vanessa looked worried.
VANESSA: "What about the recordings?"
ROBERT: "They could be useful, but we need to establish their authenticity, when they were created, and whether they have been altered."
Daniel nodded.
DANIEL: "And what about the people involved?"
Robert opened the document containing the signatures.
ROBERT: "This is the most interesting part."
He pointed to the three authorization entries.
ROBERT: "Richard Collins, Jonathan Reed, and Michael Reed."
Daniel stared at the page.
Seeing his brother's full name written beside the others made the possibility much harder to ignore.
ROBERT: "Do you know Michael Reed?"
Daniel looked at him.
DANIEL: "He's my brother."
Robert paused.
ROBERT: "I see."
DANIEL: "Are you saying he's responsible?"
ROBERT: "I'm saying his name appears on a document that requires explanation. That is all we can establish at this stage."
Daniel nodded slowly.
He appreciated Robert's careful approach.
ROBERT: "There is another issue. The company records show that one of the disputed transfers was made to an account associated with a business registered under a different ownership structure."
MARCUS: "Can you identify the beneficial owner?"
ROBERT: "Not from this copy. We'll need to request official records."
Vanessa leaned forward.
VANESSA: "I remember Richard telling me that the company was controlled by an external investor."
ROBERT: "Do you remember the investor's name?"
She shook her head.
VANESSA: "No."