Then he looked at Marcus.
DANIEL: "How does he know you're here?"
Marcus's expression became serious.
MARCUS: "I don't know."
DANIEL: "You don't know?"
MARCUS: "I haven't spoken to Richard."
Daniel looked toward the window.
The curtains were partially open.
He walked over and carefully looked outside. There were several cars parked along the street, but nothing immediately appeared unusual.
He turned back.
DANIEL: "Has anyone been following you?"
Vanessa nodded faintly.
VANESSA: "I think so."
DANIEL: "What do you mean, you think so?"
VANESSA: "Last week, I noticed the same car outside my office twice. I thought it was a coincidence."
MARCUS: "I told you to be careful."
DANIEL: "And you didn't think this was important enough to tell me?"
Marcus looked down.
MARCUS: "I didn't want to alarm you before we understood what was happening."
Daniel let out a frustrated breath.
DANIEL: "That's exactly what everyone keeps saying. Nobody wants to alarm me, nobody wants to worry me, and nobody wants to tell me anything. Yet I'm the one standing here trying to understand why strangers know what's happening in my house."
The phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a message from the same unknown number.
VANESSA: "Daniel, please don't open it."
Daniel looked at her.
DANIEL: "Why?"
VANESSA: "Because I think I know what it's going to say."
He opened the message.
There was a photograph.
It showed Vanessa standing outside a café earlier that afternoon.
The picture had clearly been taken from a distance.
Below it was another message.
RICHARD: "You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance."
Daniel's expression became cold.
He showed the screen to Marcus.
MARCUS: "This is getting serious."
DANIEL: "We need to contact the authorities."
VANESSA: "Please, Daniel. Not yet."
DANIEL: "What do you mean, not yet?"
VANESSA: "If we report him without understanding what he has, he might destroy the remaining evidence."
DANIEL: "Then we preserve everything. We don't meet him alone, and we don't give him anything."
Marcus nodded.
MARCUS: "That's the right approach."
Daniel looked at him.
DANIEL: "I want all the information you have. Every document, every message, every detail. No more secrets."
MARCUS: "I'll give you everything."
DANIEL: "And I want you to understand something else. From this moment forward, nobody makes decisions about this situation without telling me."
Vanessa nodded.
VANESSA: "I understand."
Daniel picked up the brown envelope and carefully placed the documents back inside.
He was no longer interested in arguing about who had been standing beside Vanessa when he entered the room.
There were more important questions to answer.
But before he could say anything else, the doorbell rang downstairs.
All three of them froze.
The sound came again.
Once.
Then twice.
Daniel looked at the bedroom door.
DANIEL: "Are you expecting anyone?"
Vanessa shook her head.
VANESSA: "No."
Marcus slowly moved toward the hallway.
MARCUS: "Don't answer it."
Daniel looked at him.
DANIEL: "I'm not going to hide in my own house."
He walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs.
Vanessa followed him, while Marcus remained a few steps behind.
The doorbell rang again.
Daniel reached the entrance and looked through the small security screen.
A man was standing outside.
He wore a dark jacket and held a rectangular folder under one arm.
Daniel did not recognize him.
DANIEL: "Who is it?"
MAN OUTSIDE: "I'm looking for Vanessa."
Daniel looked back toward the staircase.
DANIEL: "Who are you?"
MAN OUTSIDE: "My name is Edward. I need to speak with her."
Daniel kept his hand away from the lock.
DANIEL: "What is this about?"
The man glanced toward the camera.
EDWARD: "It's about a matter that should have been resolved a long time ago."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
DANIEL: "You'll need to be more specific."
Edward looked directly into the camera.
EDWARD: "Tell her that Richard sent me."
Behind Daniel, Vanessa suddenly stopped walking.
VANESSA: "Don't open the door."
Daniel turned around.
DANIEL: "You know him?"
Vanessa looked terrified.
VANESSA: "I've seen him before."
Marcus moved closer.
MARCUS: "That's Edward. He used to work with Richard."
Daniel turned toward the entrance again.
DANIEL: "What does he want?"
MARCUS: "I don't know."
Edward knocked three times.
EDWARD: "I know you're inside. I'm not here to cause trouble. I only need five minutes."
Daniel remained silent.
EDWARD: "Vanessa, if you can hear me, you should know that Richard is willing to make an arrangement."
Vanessa stepped closer to Daniel.
VANESSA: "Don't listen to him."
Edward continued.
EDWARD: "He wants the documents returned. In exchange, he's prepared to settle everything privately."
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
DANIEL: "What arrangement?"
She shook her head.
VANESSA: "There is no arrangement."
EDWARD: "You have until tomorrow morning to decide."
Daniel moved closer to the door.
DANIEL: "Tell Richard that if he has something to say, he can communicate through the proper channels."
Edward gave a small, almost amused smile.
EDWARD: "You must be Daniel."
Daniel said nothing.
EDWARD: "I've heard about you."
DANIEL: "I don't care what you've heard."
EDWARD: "Then perhaps you should care about what you don't know."
Daniel's expression hardened.
DANIEL: "Leave."
Edward slowly stepped away from the entrance.
EDWARD: "Tomorrow morning. That's all I'm asking."
He turned and walked toward the parked car.
Daniel watched him until he disappeared around the corner.
Then he locked the door and turned toward Vanessa.
DANIEL: "What exactly does Richard want?"