Then, carefully, he handed her the metal box.
She tucked it beneath her jacket.
Edward's smile disappeared.
“Stop her.”
One of the men moved toward Vanessa.
Alexander immediately grabbed a heavy wooden chair and placed it between them.
“Don't come any closer.”
For a moment, the room became a battlefield of frightened people and uncertain loyalties.
Then Eleanor did something nobody expected.
She stepped directly in front of Edward.
“You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Edward looked surprised.
“Mrs. Whitmore, I respect you.”
“No, you don't. If you respected me, you wouldn't have brought violence into my home.”
“I am simply trying to recover something that belongs to me.”
“It belongs to my family.”
Edward leaned slightly toward her.
“Your family has been protecting something that was never legally theirs.”
Eleanor's eyes narrowed.
“Then why have you spent twenty years trying to steal it?”
Edward said nothing.
Her question had struck closer to the truth than he expected.
Vanessa used the moment to move toward the side door.
“Now,” she whispered.
Alexander understood immediately.
He pushed the chair forward, forcing the two men to step back.
“Go!”
Vanessa hurried into the corridor.
Claire followed.
Eleanor tried to move, but Edward caught her arm.
Daniel reacted instantly.
“Don't touch my wife!”
He lunged forward.
The sudden movement startled everyone. Edward released Eleanor, but Daniel lost his balance and fell against the edge of the desk.
“Dad!”
Alexander rushed toward him.
Daniel groaned, holding his side.
Edward stepped backward.
“This is unnecessary.”
Alexander looked up.
“If you touch him again, I swear—”
“What? You'll call the police?”
“Yes.”
Edward smiled.
“Go ahead.”
He turned toward the two men.
“We're leaving.”
Alexander stared at him.
“You're just going to walk away?”
“For now.”
Edward paused at the doorway.
Then he looked toward Vanessa, who had stopped at the end of the corridor.
“Enjoy your little victory,” he said.
Vanessa held the box tightly.
“It's not a victory. It's the beginning.”
Edward's expression darkened.
“No, Vanessa. It's the beginning of the end.”
He walked out.
The two men followed him.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Alexander dropped beside his father.
“Dad, can you hear me?”
Daniel nodded weakly.
“I'm all right.”
“You're not all right.”
Eleanor knelt beside them.
“Oh, Daniel.”
Vanessa returned to the study.
“We need to go.”
Alexander looked at her.
“Not until I know what is happening.”
“Then listen carefully. Edward will not stop until he has that box.”
“Why?”
“Because it contains proof that could destroy him.”
“What proof?”
Vanessa opened the metal box.
She removed the folder and several photographs.
“Everything started with your grandfather's estate. But the most important evidence is in these documents.”
She carefully unfolded a sheet of paper.
It contained a list of property addresses, account numbers, and handwritten notes.
“Edward used the family trust to acquire properties through companies that appeared to have no connection to the Whitmores. Then he transferred the ownership several times, making it difficult to trace the original source of the money.”
Alexander studied the paper.
“But why would my grandfather agree to that?”
“He didn't.”
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“Isn't that right?”
Daniel slowly nodded.
“Your grandfather discovered what Edward and Richard were doing. He tried to stop them.”
Alexander frowned.
“You knew Edward back then?”
“I knew him as a business associate,” Daniel replied. “I didn't know what he was capable of.”
“Then why didn't you tell anyone?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Because your grandfather died before he could expose everything.”
Alexander stared at him.
“You're saying he was murdered?”
“No,” Daniel replied quickly. “I don't know that.”
“But you suspect it.”
Daniel looked away.
The answer was obvious.
Eleanor covered her mouth.
For years, she had believed her father-in-law's death had been a tragic but ordinary event. He had been old, his health had been deteriorating, and the family had accepted the doctor's explanation.
Now she wondered whether they had ever known the truth.
“Daniel,” she whispered. “What happened to your father?”
He took a deep breath.
“Three weeks before he died, he called me. He said he had discovered something terrible about Edward.”
“What?”
“He told me that the company was being used to hide money. He said Richard was involved, but he believed someone else was controlling everything.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Edward Mercer.”
Alexander shook his head.
“This is unbelievable.”
“I know.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was trying to protect you.”
Alexander stood.
“You keep saying that. But every time I ask you a question, I discover another secret.”
Daniel looked at his son.
“I know I've failed you.”
Alexander's expression softened for a brief moment.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
The caller's name made his face change.
It was his company's chief financial officer, Martin Blake.
Alexander answered.
“Martin?”
The voice on the other end sounded panicked.
“Mr. Whitmore, where are you?”
“At home. What's happened?”
“You need to come to the office immediately.”
“Why?”
“Someone has accessed the main financial database.”
Alexander frowned.
“Who?”
“I don't know. But they've transferred several files to an external server.”
“What files?”
Martin hesitated.
“Your personal authorization records.”
Alexander looked toward Daniel.
“What?”
“The records relating to the investment accounts, the trust, and the recent property acquisitions.”
Alexander felt his stomach tighten.
“Call the security department.”
“I already did.”
“And?”
“They said the access credentials were issued under your name.”
Alexander went silent.
Martin continued.
“Mr. Whitmore, there's something else.”
“What?”
“The board has called an emergency meeting.”
“Why?”
“They're preparing to remove you.”
Alexander slowly lowered the phone.
Claire approached him.
“What happened?”
He looked at her.
“Someone has used my name to access the company accounts.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“I knew this was coming.”
Alexander stared at her.
“What do you mean?”
She looked at Vanessa.
Then back at him.
“There's something I haven't told you.”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“Of course there is.”
Claire ignored the sarcasm.
“Six months ago, I found a series of emails between Edward and someone inside the company.”
“Who?”
“I couldn't identify the sender at first. The account was encrypted. But I eventually found an attachment containing a copy of your digital signature.”
Alexander frowned.
“My signature?”
“Yes. It had been used to authorize transactions.”
“I never approved those transactions.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid someone was monitoring my messages.”
Alexander shook his head.
“Claire, we've been married for eight years.”
“I know.”
“You could have trusted me.”
“I wanted to.”
“Then why didn't you?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because the first time I tried to tell you, you accused me of interfering in your business.”
Alexander opened his mouth.
Then he stopped.
He remembered the argument.
He remembered coming home late one evening and finding Claire looking through a folder on his desk.
He had become angry.
He had accused her of invading his privacy.
She had tried to explain that she had found something suspicious.
He had refused to listen.
For the first time, Alexander wondered whether his own arrogance had helped create the situation.
Claire reached into her handbag.
“I kept something.”