Inside was a small metal box.
She unlocked it.
Beneath several photographs lay the original trust agreement.
She picked it up.
For thirty years, she had believed nobody would ever discover what happened.
She had destroyed the original company records.
She had paid lawyers to prepare replacement documents.
She had convinced William that the arrangement was temporary.
And after William's death, she had used her position to maintain control.
But there was one thing she had never anticipated.
Thomas Carter.
He had kept a copy.
Margaret had confronted him shortly before his death, demanding that he hand over everything he knew.
He had refused.
Now his daughter had the evidence.
Margaret placed the document back inside the metal box.
Then she called a number she had not used in years.
A man answered.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
There was a pause.
"What happened?"
"Richard has found the documents. Daniel knows everything."
"How much does he know?"
"Enough."
"What do you want me to do?"
Margaret closed her eyes.
"I need you to stop Emily Carter from testifying."
The man remained silent.
Then he asked:
"Are you sure you want to take this that far?"
Margaret looked toward the window.
"I have spent thirty years protecting everything I built. I'm not going to lose it because of a woman who should never have been part of this family."
She ended the call.
But she did not notice that the small security camera near the cabinet had recorded her conversation.
CHAPTER 6 β THE FIRST WARNING
The following morning, Emily woke before sunrise.
She had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered Margaret's hand gripping her arm.
She remembered Noah crying.
And she remembered the strange expression on Richard's face when he said Margaret had the original agreement.
Daniel was already awake.
He was sitting in the kitchen, staring at his father's letter.
"Did you sleep?" Emily asked.
"Not really."
She poured coffee.
"How are you feeling?"
Daniel looked up.
"Like I have spent my entire life believing a story that wasn't true."
Emily sat opposite him.
"Your father wanted you to have a happy childhood. He probably never imagined this would happen."
Daniel folded the letter carefully.
"I need to ask you something."
"Anything."
"Did Margaret ever threaten your father?"
Emily hesitated.
"Yes."
Daniel's expression changed.
"When?"
"About six months before he died."
Emily explained that Thomas had received several anonymous phone calls.
The callers warned him to stop investigating Robert's estate.
One evening, a man appeared at the repair shop and demanded that Thomas hand over the original documents.
Thomas refused.
Afterward, the shop was vandalized.
Tools were stolen.
Several expensive machines were damaged.
The police investigated, but nobody was charged.
Emily had been nineteen at the time.
She remembered her father sitting in the kitchen late at night, staring at a photograph of Robert.
He had told her:
"Some people will do terrible things to protect their secrets."
Daniel listened without interrupting.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because I didn't know whether the threats were connected to Margaret."
Daniel leaned back.
"Now I think we have our answer."
His phone rang.
It was Richard.
"Daniel, we need to meet today."
"What's wrong?"
"I have spoken with a forensic document examiner. He believes the transfer agreement contains several inconsistencies."
"Can he prove it?"
"He can probably prove that the signature on one of the documents was copied."
Daniel stood.
"Then let's move forward."
Richard lowered his voice.
"There's another issue. Someone accessed my office last night."
Daniel froze.
"What?"
"The security system recorded an unauthorized entry. Nothing was stolen, but someone opened the cabinet containing the estate files."
"Do you know who?"
"No. But I believe Margaret has realized how serious this has become."
Daniel looked at Emily.
"We're coming to see you."
Richard agreed.
Before ending the call, he added:
"Daniel, one more thing. Do not trust anyone who contacts you claiming to represent the family."
The call ended.
Emily looked worried.
"What did he say?"
"Someone broke into his office."
She lowered her eyes.
"Then we need to protect Noah."
Daniel nodded.
He walked toward the stairs.
But before he reached them, his phone vibrated again.
An unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello?"
A distorted voice spoke.