Victoria looked at Helen.
"Did Dad know you were involved?"
Helen shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Did he ask you about the audit?"
Helen covered her mouth.
"Yes."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him Richard was handling it."
Victoria closed her eyes.
Her father had been dying.
He had been trying to understand what was happening to the family business.
And the people closest to him had been hiding information from him.
Daniel examined another letter.
"There's a reference to a meeting scheduled for October twenty-second."
Victoria looked at the date.
It was one week before her father died.
"What happened at that meeting?"
Samuel checked the correspondence.
"It was supposed to be attended by your father, Richard, Mrs. Hayes, and the independent auditor."
"Did it happen?"
Samuel shook his head.
"The meeting was canceled."
"Why?"
He examined the cancellation notice.
"Your father was hospitalized that morning."
Victoria felt her chest tighten.
She remembered that day.
She had been on a military assignment and had received a message from Richard saying their father was resting.
She had called the hospital twice.
Richard had told her there was no reason to come immediately.
She had believed him.
"Did anyone visit him that day?" she asked.
Helen looked down.
"Richard and I did."
"Did Dad ask about the audit?"
Helen did not respond.
Victoria turned toward Richard.
"Did he?"
Richard's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"He wanted to know why the auditor hadn't completed the report."
"And what did you tell him?"
Richard looked at her.
"I told him there was a delay."
"Was that true?"
He remained silent.
Daniel carefully examined the cancellation notice.
"Mr. Hayes, did you personally request that the audit be suspended?"
Richard's face became expressionless.
"I'm not answering that."
Daniel nodded.
"That's your right."
Victoria looked at the documents again.
Her father had been trying to protect the trust.
He had discovered the transfers.
He had requested an audit.
And someone had stopped it.
But there was still something missing.
She looked at Samuel.
"Why did Dad create the second account?"
Samuel took a moment before answering.
"According to the original instructions, the account was established to receive funds from an investment portfolio that your father wanted separated from the main estate."
"Why?"
"Because he believed the main family accounts might become involved in a dispute with certain business creditors."
Victoria frowned.
"Was he trying to protect the money?"
"Yes."
"How much was in it?"
Samuel looked at the statement.
"At the time the account was established, approximately three million dollars."
Victoria stared at him.
"And how much is left?"
Samuel turned another page.
"The current balance is considerably lower."
Richard looked at the floor.
Daniel examined the transaction list.
"Some of the funds were transferred to a company called Northbridge Holdings."
Victoria had never heard the name.
"Who owns it?"
Samuel answered.
"The ownership structure is not immediately clear. The company was registered through a corporate services provider, and its beneficial ownership records will need to be obtained."
Daniel pointed to the final line.
"But this transaction is particularly concerning."
Victoria leaned closer.
A payment of nearly one million dollars had been made to Northbridge Holdings.
The date was three days before her father's death.
And the authorization had been signed by both Richard and Helen.
Victoria slowly turned toward her mother.
"Why?"
Helen began crying again.
"Richard told me it was necessary."
"Necessary for what?"
"He said the money would be safe."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
Victoria looked at her brother.
"Where did the money go?"
Richard did not answer.
Daniel placed another document on the table.
"There's a reference here to a loan agreement."
Samuel examined it.
Then his expression changed.
"This is not a loan agreement."
Victoria frowned.
"What is it?"
Samuel looked toward Daniel.
"It appears to be a personal guarantee."
Richard immediately stepped forward.
"That's not relevant."
Daniel read the first paragraph.
"Mr. Hayes, did you guarantee the obligations of Northbridge Holdings using assets connected to the family trust?"
Richard shook his head.
"That document was never finalized."
Samuel examined the signatures.
"Then why does it contain a bank certification and a recorded execution date?"
Richard's face became pale.
Helen began whispering.
"Oh, Richard..."
He turned toward her.
"Don't say anything."
Victoria looked at them.
"What have you done?"
Nobody answered.
Daniel carefully placed the guarantee into the folder.
"We will need to examine this independently."
Samuel nodded.
"Agreed."
Victoria looked toward the ballroom entrance.
She could still hear the orchestra playing.
The gala continued in the background, although the celebration had been permanently altered.
Four hundred people had witnessed her brother strike her.
They had watched him insult her.
They had watched her mother defend him.
And now, in a quiet hotel lobby, the family secrets that had been hidden for years were beginning to surface.
Victoria felt exhausted.
But she was not finished.
"Mr. Whitmore, I want the entire trust reviewed."
Samuel nodded.
"We can arrange that."