"You were overseas. You weren't available. Richard had to make decisions."
"That isn't an answer."
Richard finally spoke.
"Fine. I handled some paperwork. But I never intended to hurt you."
Victoria looked at the papers again.
"How much money did you take?"
Richard's expression changed.
"Take? I didn't steal anything."
"How much?"
"You're making this sound criminal."
Daniel calmly interrupted.
"That determination will be made through the appropriate legal process."
Richard turned toward him.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
Daniel looked confused.
"What?"
"You've been waiting for an opportunity to destroy me."
"Mr. Hayes, I have been following your father's instructions."
Richard laughed bitterly.
"Of course. You always were his favorite lawyer."
Daniel did not respond.
Victoria turned another page.
There was a second section in her father's letter.
It described a meeting held several months before his death.
Frank had apparently discovered that Richard had used money from the estate to cover debts associated with his development company.
Some of those debts were connected to properties that had been purchased at inflated prices.
Other payments had gone toward personal expenses.
The letter did not accuse Richard of every suspicious transaction. Instead, Frank had carefully listed the matters he wanted investigated.
There were dates, account references, and the names of people who had participated in the transactions.
Victoria recognized one name.
Martin Blake.
Richard's business partner.
She remembered meeting him at a family gathering two years earlier.
He had seemed friendly, but he had avoided answering questions about the company's finances.
Daniel noticed her expression.
"Do you recognize someone?"
Victoria showed him the page.
"Martin Blake. Is he involved?"
Daniel nodded.
"He was one of the individuals your father asked us to investigate."
Richard suddenly raised his voice.
"Martin has nothing to do with this!"
Several guests turned toward him.
Thomas Reed stepped closer.
"Lower your voice."
Richard ignored him.
"You're all listening to a lawyer who has no idea how business works."
Daniel remained composed.
"I have reviewed the records."
"Then you should know that the money was invested."
"Some of it was."
"Exactly."
"But other transfers were made to accounts that had no documented connection to the business."
Richard's face became pale.
Victoria looked at Daniel.
"What accounts?"
Daniel opened the folder and removed another set of statements.
He pointed to several transactions.
"These payments were made to a private account registered under a company that was dissolved shortly afterward."
Victoria studied the information.
"Who owned it?"
Daniel paused.
"That is one of the questions your father wanted answered."
Richard suddenly reached toward the documents.
Thomas moved immediately.
"Don't."
The single word stopped him.
For a moment, Richard looked as if he might challenge the older man.
Then he stepped backward.
Helen approached Victoria again.
"Sweetheart, please. Let's go home and discuss this privately."
Victoria looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because this is becoming a spectacle."
"Richard made it a spectacle when he hit me."
Helen looked down.
"That was unfortunate."
Victoria stared at her.
"Unfortunate?"
Helen sighed.
"He lost his temper. You know how he gets when he's under pressure."
Victoria felt something inside her finally break.
Not because of the slap.
Not even because of the money.
It was the realization that her mother could witness her daughter being physically attacked and still find a way to make excuses for the person responsible.
"Mom, he hit me twice."
Helen looked uncomfortable.
"I know."
"In front of everyone."
"I know."
"And you didn't ask whether I was hurt."
Helen opened her mouth.
Then she closed it.
Victoria nodded slowly.
"That tells me everything I need to know."
Helen's eyes filled with tears.
"Don't speak to me like that. I'm still your mother."
Victoria looked at her for a long moment.
"Then you should have acted like one."
The words were quiet.
But Helen seemed more wounded by them than she had been by anything else that evening.
Richard stepped between them.
"Stop manipulating her."
Victoria looked at him.
"Move."
"What?"
"Move, Richard."
He stared at her.
For years, she had stepped aside whenever he entered a room. She had allowed him to interrupt her, dismiss her opinions, and speak on her behalf.
Tonight, she was no longer willing to do that.
Richard eventually moved.
Daniel waited until the immediate confrontation had settled.
"Victoria, there is another matter we need to discuss."
She looked at him.
"What else?"
"Your father established a procedure for situations exactly like this."
"What procedure?"
Daniel opened the folder to a marked section.
"An independent financial review. If evidence of unauthorized transfers was discovered, the trustee was required to freeze certain accounts and notify the relevant authorities."
Victoria studied the page.
"Has that happened?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because your father wanted the trustee to receive the original documents directly from you, not through another family member."
Richard let out a frustrated laugh.
"That's absurd."
Daniel continued.
"Once the documents are authenticated, the trustee can begin the review immediately."
Victoria nodded.
"Then do it."
Richard stepped forward.