"He said you had been involved in the financial arrangements surrounding Daniel and Vanessa."
Margaret slowly sat down.
Then she gave a small laugh.
"Eleanor, you can't possibly believe that."
"I didn't say I believed anything."
"Richard was very ill. You know that. He was frightened and confused toward the end."
"He seemed quite clear in the recording."
Margaret looked away.
"Perhaps you misunderstood."
Eleanor walked to the fireplace.
"Then help me understand."
Margaret remained silent.
Eleanor turned around.
"Did you receive money from the investment company?"
The color slowly drained from Margaret's face.
"Who told you that?"
"Richard."
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
Margaret stood.
"Because Richard knew I was helping him."
"Helping him do what?"
"Protect the family."
Eleanor stared at her.
"By accepting money from people who wanted to take our properties?"
Margaret's voice became defensive.
"You don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it."
Margaret looked toward the windows.
For several seconds, she appeared to be deciding whether to continue lying.
Finally, she spoke.
"Daniel came to me almost a year ago. He was desperate."
"Why?"
"He had lost a considerable amount of money."
"How much?"
"More than you know."
Eleanor's stomach tightened.
"How much, Margaret?"
"Nearly four million dollars."
The number seemed to echo through the room.
Four million.
Eleanor gripped the edge of the fireplace.
"How?"
"Bad investments. Private loans. A business partnership that collapsed."
"And Vanessa knew?"
"She knew some of it."
"Did Daniel ask you for help?"
"Yes."
"Why you?"
Margaret looked down.
"Because Richard trusted me. I had been handling some of the foundation's administrative arrangements for years."
Eleanor felt a fresh wave of disbelief.
"You used Richard's trust to help my son steal from his own family?"
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
"I never intended for it to become this."
"Then what did you intend?"
"I thought we could move some of the assets temporarily, settle Daniel's debts, and restore everything before anyone noticed."
Eleanor stared at her.
"You thought?"
Margaret shook her head.
"Daniel promised that he would repay everything."
"And the money you received?"
Margaret did not answer.
Eleanor stepped closer.
"How much did you take?"
Margaret began crying.
"Three hundred thousand dollars."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
For thirty years, she had trusted this woman.
They had celebrated birthdays together, traveled together, and stood beside each other at family funerals.
And now Margaret was admitting that she had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars while helping her son undermine his own family.
"Why?" Eleanor whispered.
Margaret wiped her cheeks.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of losing everything."
Eleanor looked at her.
"You had a comfortable life. You had a home. You had friends. What exactly were you afraid of losing?"
Margaret finally raised her eyes.
"My son."
Eleanor went still.
"Your son?"
Margaret nodded.
"Daniel isn't my biological son, but I have loved him since he was a little boy."
Eleanor felt the air leave her lungs.
"What are you talking about?"
Margaret looked toward the wedding photograph on the side table.
Then she said something Eleanor had never expected to hear.
"Richard and I were married before he met you."
The room fell silent.
Eleanor stared at her.
Margaret continued.
"We had a son together. His name was Daniel."
Eleanor shook her head.
"No."
"I know what Richard told you."
"Daniel is my son."
"He is."
"Then what are you saying?"
Margaret began to cry harder.
"I am his biological mother."
Eleanor felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath her feet.
She remembered the day Richard had introduced her to Daniel.
He had told her that his first wife had died shortly after childbirth.
He had explained that the baby had been raised by relatives for a short period before Richard brought him home.
Eleanor had never questioned the story.
Richard had seemed devastated whenever the subject arose.
She had accepted the past he had given her.
Now Margaret was sitting in her living room, telling her that the story was a lie.
"Richard told me his first wife died," Eleanor whispered.
Margaret nodded.
"He was trying to protect everyone."
"Protect whom?"
"Me. Daniel. You."
Eleanor's voice trembled.
"Tell me everything."
Margaret took a deep breath.
"Richard and I were very young when Daniel was born. We had no money, no stability, and no idea how to raise a child. Our marriage was already falling apart."
She looked at Eleanor.
"After we separated, Richard became successful. He met you, and you gave him the life he had always wanted."
Eleanor said nothing.
"Daniel was still very young. Richard believed he would have a better childhood if he grew up in a stable home. He asked me to let him raise our son."
"Did you agree?"
Margaret nodded.
"At first, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was struggling financially. I believed Richard could provide everything Daniel needed."
"And then?"
Margaret's eyes filled again.
"I stayed away for years. But I never stopped loving him."