It was a small movement, but Daniel noticed it.
MICHAEL: "Vanessa?"
DANIEL: "Yes."
MICHAEL: "I don't think so."
Daniel nodded.
DANIEL: "Interesting."
MICHAEL: "What's interesting?"
Daniel took a printed copy of the authorization document from his folder.
He placed it on the table.
Michael looked down.
His face changed immediately.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he slowly pushed the paper away.
MICHAEL: "Where did you get this?"
DANIEL: "Does it look familiar?"
MICHAEL: "This document is old."
DANIEL: "I know."
MICHAEL: "You shouldn't be looking at things you don't understand."
Daniel leaned forward.
DANIEL: "Then help me understand."
Michael looked around the restaurant.
He lowered his voice.
MICHAEL: "Not here."
DANIEL: "Why?"
MICHAEL: "Because this is a private family matter."
DANIEL: "It became a family matter when your name appeared on financial authorization records connected to missing investor money."
Michael's expression hardened.
MICHAEL: "You need to listen to me carefully. I was involved in a project that failed. That doesn't make me responsible for everything that happened afterward."
DANIEL: "Then explain your role."
MICHAEL: "I was an investor."
DANIEL: "You were an authorized representative."
MICHAEL: "For a short period."
DANIEL: "Why didn't you tell me?"
Michael looked directly at him.
MICHAEL: "Because I didn't want you involved."
Daniel shook his head.
DANIEL: "You don't get to decide that for me."
Michael took a deep breath.
MICHAEL: "Daniel, there are things you need to understand about Richard. He was not the person he pretended to be. He manipulated everyone around him."
DANIEL: "Including you?"
Michael did not answer.
DANIEL: "Did you know about the transfers?"
MICHAEL: "I knew some money was being moved."
DANIEL: "Did you approve them?"
MICHAEL: "I approved certain transactions based on the information I was given."
DANIEL: "Did you know the companies receiving the money were connected to Richard?"
Michael rubbed his forehead.
MICHAEL: "I didn't know everything."
Daniel felt a wave of disappointment.
DANIEL: "You could have told me."
MICHAEL: "I was trying to protect the family."
DANIEL: "From what?"
MICHAEL: "From a scandal that could have destroyed everything we had worked for."
Daniel stared at him.
DANIEL: "So you decided to keep quiet?"
Michael nodded slowly.
MICHAEL: "I made a decision I thought was necessary at the time."
DANIEL: "And what about the investors?"
Michael looked down.
MICHAEL: "I know."
DANIEL: "Did they lose their money because of you?"
MICHAEL: "Not entirely."
DANIEL: "That's not an answer."
Michael suddenly became frustrated.
MICHAEL: "What do you want me to say? That I made mistakes? Fine. I made mistakes. But I wasn't the person who stole everything."
Daniel remained silent.
MICHAEL: "Richard arranged the transfers. Jonathan handled the paperwork. I was brought in because they needed someone with business connections."
DANIEL: "And Vanessa?"
Michael looked at him.
MICHAEL: "She was caught in the middle."
DANIEL: "Did you know Richard was planning to blame her?"
Michael hesitated.
That hesitation answered more than words could have.
Daniel slowly stood up.
DANIEL: "I think we're finished."
MICHAEL: "Wait."
Daniel stopped.
MICHAEL: "You need to understand one more thing. Richard didn't act alone."
DANIEL: "I know."
MICHAEL: "No, Daniel. You don't."
Michael opened his briefcase and removed a folded document.
MICHAEL: "There was another investor. Someone who provided most of the money. Someone whose name never appeared on the public records."
Daniel looked at the paper.
DANIEL: "Who?"
Michael pushed it across the table.
MICHAEL: "Look at the last page."
Daniel unfolded it.
At the bottom was a name he recognized immediately.
His own name.
Daniel stared at the document.
For a moment, he could not breathe.
DANIEL: "What is this?"
MICHAEL: "An investment guarantee."
DANIEL: "I never signed this."
MICHAEL: "I know."
DANIEL: "Then why is my name here?"
Michael looked deeply uncomfortable.
MICHAEL: "Because Richard needed another person to support the transaction. He used information from our old business records."
Daniel's hands tightened around the paper.
DANIEL: "Are you telling me someone forged my signature?"
MICHAEL: "That's what I believe."
Daniel slowly sat down again.
He examined the signature.
It looked similar to his own.
But something about the final stroke was wrong.
DANIEL: "Who created this?"
Michael shook his head.
MICHAEL: "I don't know."
DANIEL: "You expect me to believe that?"
MICHAEL: "I swear I'm telling you the truth."
Daniel looked at his brother.
He wanted to believe him.
But after everything that had happened, trust no longer came easily.
DANIEL: "Why are you showing me this now?"
Michael lowered his voice.
MICHAEL: "Because Richard has been asking questions about you. I heard that he was planning to use this document if anyone started investigating the old company."
DANIEL: "Use it how?"
MICHAEL: "To make it appear that you were involved in the original transactions."
Daniel looked at the document again.
The situation had become even more dangerous.
If someone had forged his signature, he could be dragged into a financial dispute that had nothing to do with his actual business activities.
He immediately took photographs of the document.
MICHAEL: "What are you doing?"
DANIEL: "Preserving evidence."
MICHAEL: "You don't need to do that."
DANIEL: "Yes, I do."
Michael looked disappointed.
MICHAEL: "You don't trust me anymore."
Daniel stood up.
DANIEL: "You should ask yourself why."
He picked up the document and placed it inside his folder.
DANIEL: "I hope you're telling me the truth, Michael. Because if you're not, this will become much worse."