Another attempt to make her feel guilty.
But she was beginning to understand that the truth no longer depended on Richard's willingness to acknowledge it.
There were documents.
There were witnesses.
There were bank records.
And there was her father's final letter.
For the first time, she did not need her brother to agree with her.
She only needed the truth to be examined.
Daniel turned toward Samuel.
"We should proceed with the formal preservation request."
Samuel nodded.
"I'll contact the trust's compliance counsel tonight. The affected accounts will be reviewed, and we will request that no additional transactions be processed until the investigation is complete."
Richard immediately became agitated.
"You cannot do that without giving me a chance to explain."
"You will have an opportunity to provide documentation," Samuel replied. "But that does not mean the review must wait."
"My company employs more than eighty people."
Samuel looked at him.
"Then you should have considered those employees before putting their company's financial stability at risk."
Richard's face turned red.
He looked toward Victoria.
"You hear that? They're going to destroy everything I've built."
Victoria said nothing.
"Are you happy now?"
She finally answered.
"No."
Richard seemed surprised.
Victoria continued.
"I never wanted your company to fail. I never wanted you to lose your business. I wanted you to stop using my name without permission. I wanted you to tell me the truth. I wanted you to treat me like your sister."
Richard laughed bitterly.
"You think life is that simple?"
"No. I think honesty is."
He looked at her with contempt.
"You've always had it easy."
Victoria stared at him.
"Easy?"
"You had your career. You had your independence. You could leave whenever things became difficult. I had to stay here and handle everything."
Victoria shook her head.
"I worked for everything I have."
"You don't understand responsibility."
"I understand it better than you think."
Richard stepped closer.
"You were never here when Dad needed us."
Those words struck deeper than she expected.
Victoria remembered her father's hospital room.
She remembered the smell of antiseptic, the machines beside his bed, and the way he had struggled to speak during their final conversation.
She remembered how she had promised to return as soon as her duties allowed.
She remembered arriving too late for one of his appointments because her flight had been delayed.
And she remembered blaming herself for months afterward.
Richard knew that.
He knew exactly which wound to touch.
Victoria lowered her eyes briefly.
Then she looked back at him.
"You're right about one thing. I wasn't there every day."
Richard folded his arms.
"Exactly."
"But I called him whenever I could. I sent him messages. I tried to visit. I asked you whether he needed anything."
Richard said nothing.
"You told me he was fine. You told me everything was under control. You told me not to worry."
She paused.
"Did you ever tell me that Dad was questioning the company's finances?"
Richard looked away.
"No."
"Did you tell me that he was investigating you?"
"No."
"Did you tell me that you were using my signature?"
Richard's silence became the answer.
Victoria nodded.
"So don't stand there and tell me I abandoned him."
Richard's expression hardened.
"You don't know what happened in that house."
Victoria looked at him.
"Then tell me."
He remained silent.
Samuel opened his briefcase again.
"There is another document we haven't discussed."
Everyone turned toward him.
Samuel removed a thin folder.
"This is a copy of the original correspondence between Mr. Frank Hayes and the trust's independent auditor."
Daniel immediately leaned forward.
"Is this the correspondence from September?"
Samuel nodded.
"Yes."
Richard's expression changed.
Victoria noticed.
"What is it?"
Samuel placed the folder on the table.
"Your father discovered that the second account had been used to transfer money into a separate investment vehicle. He was concerned that the arrangement had been established without the proper disclosures."
Daniel examined the first page.
"This is important."
Victoria looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because it establishes that your father had already identified the suspicious transfers before his death."
Samuel continued.
"He requested an independent audit. He also instructed the auditor to preserve the original records."
Victoria looked at the dates.
The correspondence had begun nearly five months before her father died.
"Did the audit happen?"
Samuel shook his head.
"It was interrupted."
"By whom?"
Samuel looked at the next page.
"According to the correspondence, the audit firm was instructed to suspend its work after receiving a legal objection from the company."
Victoria looked toward Richard.
"Your company?"
Richard rubbed his forehead.
"That was a business matter."
Daniel looked at the signature.
"Who submitted the objection?"
Samuel turned the page toward Victoria.
The name was unmistakable.
Helen Hayes.
Victoria slowly sat down.
Her mother had not simply signed administrative documents.
She had helped stop the investigation.
She had helped prevent the auditor from completing the work her father had requested.
And she had allowed the financial irregularities to remain hidden.