"And Vanessa?"
"Richard was particularly concerned about her."
Eleanor turned another page.
There was a handwritten note attached to the document.
She recognized Richard's handwriting immediately.
"Thomas, if Eleanor is reading this, please remind her that protecting the family does not mean protecting every person who shares our name. Sometimes the most loving decision is to stop someone from hurting themselves and everyone around them."
Eleanor pressed the paper against her chest.
For the first time that morning, she began to cry.
Thomas waited.
When she finally looked up, she asked:
"Can Daniel lose everything?"
Thomas closed the folder.
"That depends on what the investigation establishes and what the court determines. But there is another issue."
"What?"
"The ownership of the lake property."
Eleanor frowned.
"What about it?"
Thomas removed another document.
"Richard discovered that a transfer had already been submitted to a holding company. It was not completed, but the paperwork is more advanced than we originally believed."
"Who owns the company?"
Thomas looked at her.
"That's what I have been trying to establish."
He turned the document toward her.
The company was called Whitmore Heritage Holdings.
Its registered director was Daniel Whitmore.
But the majority shareholder was not Daniel.
It was someone else.
Eleanor read the name.
Then she stopped breathing.
The majority shareholder was Margaret Collins.
The woman who had just left her house.
The woman who had claimed to be Daniel's biological mother.
The woman who had helped raise the man Eleanor had spent her life loving.
Margaret had not merely accepted money.
She had positioned herself to control the estate.
And now Eleanor understood why Vanessa had been so desperate to complete the transfer.
They were not fighting over a necklace.
They were fighting over an entire empire.
That evening, Daniel returned to the estate.
He arrived alone.
His suit was wrinkled, his eyes were red, and he looked as though he had not slept.
Eleanor was sitting in the living room with Richard's letter beside her.
"Mother."
She did not stand.
"Daniel."
He looked around.
"Where's Vanessa?"
"Not here."
"Did she come back?"
"No."
He sat across from her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Daniel asked:
"Did Margaret come to see you?"
Eleanor studied him.
"Yes."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"What did she tell you?"
"That she is your biological mother."
His face changed.
"She told you?"
"Yes."
Daniel leaned forward and covered his face with both hands.
"I was hoping she wouldn't."
Eleanor felt a sharp pain in her chest.
"How long have you known?"
"Since I was seventeen."
"Did your father tell you?"
Daniel nodded.
"After I found some old photographs. I asked him about them. He finally told me everything."
Eleanor looked at him.
"And you never thought I deserved to know?"
Daniel's eyes filled.
"I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"That you would think I didn't love you."
Eleanor stared at him.
"Daniel, I changed your diapers. I sat beside your hospital bed. I taught you to ride a bicycle. I watched you graduate. I held you when you cried after your first relationship ended."
Her voice broke.
"Did you ever think that knowing the truth would change any of that?"
Daniel lowered his head.
"No."
"Then why did you let me live my entire life without knowing?"
He had no answer.
Eleanor stood and walked toward the window.
"Your father told me Margaret helped you with the financial arrangements."
Daniel nodded.
"She did."
"Why?"
"Because I owed money."
"Four million dollars?"
He looked up.
"How did you know?"
"Does it matter?"
Daniel rubbed his face.
"I made terrible decisions. I thought I could recover the losses before anyone found out. Then the debts became larger. Vanessa found out, and she started talking about the estate."
"Did you know what she planned?"
"Not everything."
"But you knew she wanted the property transferred."
Daniel nodded.
Eleanor turned toward him.
"Did you know about the forged signatures?"
"No."
"Did you know about the jewelry?"
"No."
"Did you know she intended to sell the family collection?"
Daniel shook his head.
Eleanor studied his face.
"Then why did you help her?"
"Because I thought I had no choice."
"You always have a choice."
"I was scared."
"So was I, Daniel."
He looked at her.
"I was scared of losing your trust. I was scared of losing the house. I was scared of becoming the man my father thought I might become."
Eleanor's expression softened for a moment.
"Your father never wanted you to become a perfect man."
Daniel began crying.
"He wanted me to be an honest one."
Eleanor nodded.
"Yes."
He looked at the letter.
"Did he leave something for me?"
Eleanor reached into the folder and removed a smaller envelope.
"Yes."
Daniel stared at it.
His name was written across the front.
His father's handwriting.
He reached for it, but Eleanor kept her hand on the envelope.