She turned toward Thomas.
"Mr. Reed, please take a seat."
The room became silent.
One of the older directors suddenly stood.
"Thomas?"
Thomas nodded.
"Good morning, Mr. Collins."
The director looked stunned.
"We were told you had left the country."
Thomas gave a tired smile.
"That was the story."
Richard closed his folder.
"Victoria, I strongly recommend we postpone this discussion."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
Richard hesitated.
"Because these documents may be incomplete or misleading."
Victoria placed the original ownership agreement on the table.
"Then let's examine them."
A lawyer approached.
He reviewed the first page.
Then he looked at the company seal.
His expression changed.
"Where did you obtain this?"
Thomas answered.
"It was preserved by Daniel Sterling before his death."
The lawyer carefully examined the signatures.
"These appear consistent with the original documents in our archive."
Richard stood up.
"This is absurd."
Victoria looked at him.
"Sit down, Richard."
Nobody moved.
For the first time, the board saw Victoria in a way they had never seen her before.
She was no longer the executive trying to complete a deal.
She was the daughter of a man who might have been betrayed by the people who built their company's history.
And she was determined to find out what had happened.
CHAPTER 11: THE RECORDING
Thomas reached into his briefcase again.
This time, he removed a small digital storage device.
"I also have something else."
Richard immediately shook his head.
"We cannot accept unverified recordings."
Victoria looked at the lawyer.
"Can it be authenticated?"
"Potentially, yes. We would need to examine the original device and establish its chain of custody."
Thomas nodded.
"I expected that."
He handed the device to the legal team.
The recording was dated three days before Daniel's death.
It contained a conversation between Daniel and an unidentified man.
Daniel's voice was weak but recognizable.
He was discussing the missing money.
He repeatedly insisted that he had not approved the transfers.
Then another voice spoke.
The speaker warned Daniel that continuing the investigation would destroy his family.
Victoria leaned forward.
"Who is that?"
Thomas looked at Richard.
"I believe you know."
Richard's face had become pale.
The lawyer played the recording again.
The second voice was clearer this time.
It sounded like a younger Richard Caldwell.
One of the board members whispered.
"That's Richard."
Richard slammed his hand on the table.
"This is fabricated!"
Thomas did not react.
Victoria stared at him.
"Did you threaten my father?"
Richard looked around the room.
"You are making a serious mistake."
Victoria stood.
"Answer the question."
Richard remained silent.
The recording continued.
Daniel's voice could be heard saying:
"You can take the company. You can take my money. But you will never make me tell my daughter that I abandoned her."
Then came a loud noise.
The recording ended.
Victoria covered her mouth.
Tears filled her eyes.
Her father had not abandoned her.
He had been trying to protect her.
And the man sitting across the table had been connected to the events that destroyed her family.
CHAPTER 12: THE LAST PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
Richard demanded that the meeting be stopped.
He claimed the documents were forged.
He threatened legal action.
But the board members had begun reviewing the evidence.
The original ownership agreement was real.
The financial records contained details that matched archived company transactions.
The recording required forensic authentication, but its existence raised serious questions.