Edward's eyes filled with tears.
"What happened next?"
Daniel looked toward the floor.
"She asked me to leave."
Edward waited.
"Then Collins arrived."
Michael leaned forward.
"What did he do?"
Daniel shook his head.
"They argued. I heard shouting. I left because I was afraid."
Edward stared at him.
"You left your mother alone with him?"
Daniel broke down.
"I was afraid, Father!"
Edward stood motionless.
"Your mother was dying, and you were afraid of losing money?"
Daniel cried harder.
"I didn't know she would die that night!"
Edward's face crumpled.
He slowly sat down.
For years, he had believed Margaret's final days had been peaceful.
Now he was discovering that she had spent her last hours trying to protect the family from a betrayal that had already begun.
He covered his face.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Daniel whispered:
"Because I was ashamed."
CHAPTER 5: THE RECORDING THAT REVEALED THE LAST TRUTH
Robert suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Harrison, there is something else in the box."
Edward looked up.
"What?"
Robert pointed toward the small audio recorder.
"There may be another recording."
Michael took the device and examined it.
He noticed a small memory compartment.
Inside was an additional recording.
He pressed the button.
At first, there was only static.
Then Margaret's voice appeared.
"Daniel, please listen to me."
Everyone froze.
The recording was dated fifteen years earlier.
Margaret's voice sounded tired.
"Your father loves you. He has spent his entire life trying to give you everything. Why are you doing this?"
A younger Daniel answered.
"Mother, you don't understand."
"I understand more than you think."
"Collins says this is the only way."
"Then Collins is lying to you."
There was a pause.
Daniel sounded angry.
"You always take Father's side."
Margaret replied softly.
"I am not taking anyone's side. I am asking you to do what is right."
Daniel raised his voice.
"What about my future? What about everything I have worked for?"
Margaret answered:
"Your future will mean nothing if you destroy your character to obtain it."
The recording continued.
Daniel said something that made everyone uncomfortable.
"What if I have already gone too far?"
Margaret's voice softened.
"Then come home. Tell your father. We will find a way to make things right."
Daniel was silent.
Then Margaret said:
"Son, listen to me. You can lose money and earn it again. You can lose a position and find another one. But if you lose the trust of the people who love you, you may never recover it."
The recording stopped.
Daniel was crying.
He remembered that conversation.
He remembered leaving his mother's office.
He remembered driving away.
And he remembered receiving a phone call several hours later.
His mother had been taken to the hospital.
By the time he arrived, she was unconscious.
He never heard her speak again.
Edward slowly turned toward Daniel.
"Did you visit her before she died?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
"Did you tell her you were sorry?"
Daniel covered his face.
"No."
The room became silent.
Edward looked toward the garden.
He remembered Margaret's final hospital days.
He remembered sitting beside her bed.
He remembered believing that everything would eventually be all right.
And now he understood that there were words she had needed to hear but never received.
He whispered:
"She waited for you."
Daniel began sobbing.
"I know."
"She wanted you to come home."
"I know."
Edward looked at his son.
"And you never gave her the chance to know that you regretted what you had done."
Daniel fell to his knees.
"Father, please forgive me."
Edward looked at him for a long time.
Then he said:
"Get up, Daniel."
Daniel slowly stood.
"I cannot change what happened. Neither can you. But you can decide whether the rest of your life will be another lie."
Daniel nodded.
"I will tell the truth."
Edward closed his eyes.
"Then start now."
CHAPTER 6: THE MAN BEHIND THE BETRAYAL
The following day, Robert contacted the company's legal advisers.
They began preparing a formal investigation into the transactions involving Daniel and Mr. Collins.
Michael offered to help organize the financial records because of his professional experience.
At first, Edward was hesitant.
"You don't have to involve yourself in this."
Michael smiled.
"I know. But I want to."
Edward looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want the family history to be the only thing connecting us. I want us to build something together."
Edward's eyes became emotional.
"Then we will."
Over the next several days, Michael examined the documents.
He discovered that Collins had created several companies under different names.
Money had been transferred through them using false consulting agreements.
The payments were disguised as business expenses.
Some transactions had been approved by Daniel.
Others had been authorized using documents that Edward had never signed.
But the most important discovery was hidden in an old email archive.
It contained correspondence between Collins and another business partner.
One message read:
"Margaret has become a problem. She has copies of the original documents. We need to make sure she cannot interfere."
Michael read it twice.
His face became pale.
He immediately called Edward.
"Father, you need to see this."
Edward entered the study.
Michael showed him the message.
Edward stared at the screen.
"What does this mean?"
Michael answered carefully.