"Because someone removed it."
"Who?"
Thomas did not answer.
He simply placed another folder on the floor.
"This is where the story becomes difficult."
CHAPTER 5: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING COLLAPSED
Twenty years earlier, Sterling International had been preparing for its largest expansion.
The company had secured several major contracts.
Banks were willing to provide financing, and investors were interested in purchasing shares.
Daniel was excited.
Thomas was cautious.
Margaret, however, had begun meeting privately with an outside investment group.
She believed the company was worth far more than Daniel and Thomas realized.
She wanted to restructure ownership before the expansion.
Daniel refused.
He believed that the original agreement should remain intact.
Thomas supported him.
The disagreement became increasingly bitter.
Then a series of unauthorized financial transfers appeared in the company accounts.
Millions of dollars had been moved into offshore accounts.
The transactions were approved using Daniel's credentials.
Investigators quickly focused on him.
Daniel insisted that he had never authorized the transfers.
Thomas began reviewing the financial records.
He discovered that several signatures had been copied.
He also found evidence that company passwords had been accessed from an office computer belonging to Margaret.
Before he could present the evidence, the original documents disappeared.
The company's board called an emergency meeting.
Margaret presented a collection of financial reports accusing Daniel and Thomas of misconduct.
Daniel was removed from his position.
Thomas attempted to defend him.
But he was accused of helping transfer the money.
The company froze his accounts.
His reputation was destroyed.
Daniel became increasingly distressed.
He told his daughter that everything would be explained.
But he never got the opportunity.
A few weeks later, he died in a car accident.
The official report described the incident as an unfortunate loss of control on a wet road.
Thomas never believed it was an accident.
He had received a letter from Daniel three days before the crash.
In that letter, Daniel wrote:
"Thomas, if anything happens to me, make sure Victoria knows the truth. She deserves to inherit more than a company built on lies."
Thomas had kept the letter.
And now he had brought it back.
CHAPTER 6: THE LETTER
Victoria took the envelope from the briefcase.
Her hands began trembling.
The paper was yellowed with age.
Her father's handwriting was unmistakable.
She opened it carefully.
The letter was short.
It began with a message to Thomas.
Daniel explained that he had discovered evidence of financial manipulation.
He believed Margaret had been working with an outside investment group to remove him from the company.
He also wrote that he feared for his safety.
At the end of the letter was a sentence that made Victoria's heart stop.
"Tell my daughter that I never abandoned her. If she grows up believing I chose money over family, then the people who betrayed me will have won twice."
Victoria read the sentence again.
Then a third time.
Her eyes filled with tears.
For twenty years, she had believed her father had abandoned the family.
She remembered waiting for him at the front window.
She remembered asking her mother when he would return.
She remembered the answer.
"He chose his business over us."
Now she was discovering that the truth might have been completely different.
Victoria looked at Thomas.
"Why didn't you come sooner?"
Thomas lowered his eyes.
"Because I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"