Inside lay a sealed document.
Sophia leaned closer.
"What is it?"
Emily opened the envelope.
The first page contained a corporate agreement.
The second contained a list of financial transactions.
The third contained a handwritten statement from Daniel Carter.
Emily read it slowly.
Arthur,
If you are reading this, then Victor has begun the process we feared.
He has approached several members of the board.
He has offered them financial incentives to support the acquisition.
I believe Richard Hayes is involved.
Emily stopped.
Sophia looked at her.
"Richard?"
Emily nodded.
She continued reading.
The company is being deliberately weakened.
The debt is not entirely genuine.
Several obligations have been transferred between companies in a manner designed to create the appearance of insolvency.
If Victor succeeds, Maison Aurelia will be sold.
The workshop will be closed.
The Legacy Necklace will disappear.
Emily's hands trembled.
At the bottom of the page was a final sentence.
The only way to stop him is to reveal the original agreement.
Emily looked at Sophia.
"Where is it?"
Sophia pointed toward the envelope.
"Isn't this the agreement?"
Emily shook her head.
"No."
She turned the page.
A handwritten note appeared.
The original agreement is not here.
It is in the custody of the person who understands why the company was created.
Emily frowned.
"Who?"
Sophia read the sentence again.
Then she whispered.
"Arthur."
Emily stared at her.
Arthur had died eighteen months ago.
But perhaps he had left the agreement somewhere.
Perhaps he had entrusted it to someone.
Perhaps the answer had been in front of them all along.
Emily looked toward Eleanor.
"Did my grandfather have a lawyer he trusted?"
Eleanor nodded.
"One."
"Who?"
"James Miller."
Emily immediately picked up her phone.
She searched for the number.
Then she called.
A man answered.
"James Miller."
Emily took a breath.
"Mr. Miller, my name is Emily Carter."
There was a pause.
Then the lawyer's voice changed.
"Emily?"
"Yes."
Another silence.
Finally, he spoke.
"Your grandfather told me this day would come."
Emily closed her eyes.
"What did he leave you?"
James answered quietly.
"Everything."
The following morning, Emily arrived at James Miller's office fifteen minutes early.
The building stood on a quiet street in Manhattan, far from the glittering towers where Victor Sterling conducted his business. It was an old brick structure with narrow windows, wooden floors, and a brass sign beside the entrance.
MILLER & ASSOCIATES.
Sophia had insisted on accompanying her.
"I don't care what the lawyer says," she had told Emily. "You're not going into this alone."
Emily had smiled.
"You're beginning to sound like my grandfather."
Sophia shrugged.
"Perhaps he was right about a few things."
James Miller opened the door himself.
He was a thin, elderly man with silver hair and tired eyes. His suit was modest, his shoes slightly worn, and his office smelled faintly of coffee and old books.
When he saw Emily, he stopped.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then he smiled sadly.
"You have your father's eyes."
Emily felt something tighten in her chest.
"Did you know him well?"
James stepped aside.
"Better than almost anyone."
He led them into a small conference room.
On the table stood a wooden box.
It was dark, polished, and surprisingly heavy.
Emily recognized the initials engraved on its lid.
A.W.
Arthur Whitmore.
James sat down.
"Your grandfather came here eighteen months before he died."
Emily stared at the box.
"What did he bring?"
James placed his hands on the table.
"Everything your father discovered."
He opened the lid.
Inside were three folders, a photograph, and a small cassette recorder.
Emily frowned.
"A recorder?"
James nodded.
"Your father recorded a conversation."
Emily's breath caught.
"With Victor Sterling?"
James nodded again.
"But before you listen, you need to understand what happened."
He opened the first folder.
It contained a series of financial agreements.
"Victor Sterling began approaching Maison Aurelia nearly twenty years ago. At first, he wanted to invest in the company. Arthur refused."
Emily looked at the documents.
"Why?"
"Because Victor wanted control over production. He intended to move manufacturing overseas, reduce labor costs, and sell the brand to a larger corporation."
James continued.
"Daniel disagreed with him."
Emily stared at her father's name.
"What happened next?"
"Victor began purchasing debts connected to Maison Aurelia."
James pointed toward a document.
"He used several investment companies to acquire loans from creditors. Then he offered the company financing under increasingly restrictive terms."