Victoria leaned forward.
VICTORIA: "Frank wanted me to manage the household. He trusted me."
RICHARD: "He trusted you with household matters. The documents did not give you unrestricted authority over the protected assets."
VICTORIA: "You are interpreting those instructions in a way that suits you."
RICHARD: "The wording is clear."
Richard pointed to a section on the page.
RICHARD: "Any transfer above a specified amount required written authorization and supporting documentation. The purpose of that requirement was to prevent the fund from being used for unrelated business expenses."
Isabella followed the lines with her eyes.
ISABELLA: "And the money was transferred anyway?"
RICHARD: "The preliminary review indicates that several transfers were made without the required supporting approvals."
ALEXANDER: "Those were temporary loans."
Richard looked at him.
RICHARD: "Who authorized them?"
ALEXANDER: "The family discussed them."
RICHARD: "Which family members?"
Alexander hesitated.
ALEXANDER: "My mother and me."
RICHARD: "Did Frank authorize them?"
Alexander looked toward Victoria.
ALEXANDER: "He knew what we were doing."
RICHARD: "Then why do the records contain no corresponding authorization from him?"
ALEXANDER: "Because he was ill."
RICHARD: "If he was too ill to sign, someone needed lawful authority to act on his behalf. That authority was limited. It did not permit the use of protected funds to finance private ventures."
Alexander leaned back.
ALEXANDER: "You make it sound like I was taking money for myself."
RICHARD: "The company records show that money reached accounts connected to your business."
ALEXANDER: "The company was intended to benefit the family."
ISABELLA: "Did Father know about the transfers?"
Alexander turned toward her.
ALEXANDER: "You should stop pretending you care about this. You haven't been part of the family for years."
ISABELLA: "I cared enough to send money for his treatment. I cared enough to call. I cared enough to come whenever my duties allowed."
ALEXANDER: "You always want to be the victim."
ISABELLA: "No. I want an answer."
The room fell silent.
Richard removed another sheet.
RICHARD: "There is a transaction dated six months before Frank's death. It is one of the largest transfers in the preliminary records."
Isabella looked at the amount.
She read it twice.
The figure was far larger than anything she had expected.
ISABELLA: "What was this payment for?"
RICHARD: "It was recorded as a temporary investment advance to Montgomery Strategic Holdings."
ALEXANDER: "That was part of the business expansion."
RICHARD: "There is no corresponding repayment in the records."
ALEXANDER: "The investment was still active."
RICHARD: "Then we will need the supporting investment agreement, the receiving account statements, and the company's financial records."
Alexander rubbed his forehead.
ALEXANDER: "The company had expenses. We were developing properties. Not every project produces an immediate return."
RICHARD: "That may be true. But the question is whether the money was legally available for those expenses in the first place."
Isabella looked at the transaction date again.
She remembered that period.
Her father had been in and out of hospital. She had called Victoria to ask whether the medical bills were being paid. Her mother had assured her that everything was under control, although she had mentioned that the family was experiencing temporary financial pressure.
Isabella had sent another transfer.
She had even postponed a personal purchase because she wanted to make sure her father had everything he needed.
Now she wondered whether the money had ever reached him.
ISABELLA: "Richard, can you trace the payments I sent?"
RICHARD: "Yes. I already have the initial bank records. We need to compare them with the accounts that received the funds."
VICTORIA: "Why are you making this sound so complicated? The money was used for family expenses. Nobody was trying to hurt Frank."
Isabella turned toward her mother.
ISABELLA: "You told me the money was for his medical care."
VICTORIA: "It was."
ISABELLA: "Then show me the medical payments."
Victoria's expression tightened.
VICTORIA: "You cannot expect me to keep every receipt from years ago."
RICHARD: "The hospitals and care providers maintain their own records. We can obtain copies."
ALEXANDER: "This is getting out of hand."
ISABELLA: "It became out of hand when you decided to hit me in front of four hundred people."
Alexander looked away.
For the first time, he appeared to recognize that the physical assault could not simply be dismissed as a family argument.
Master Chief Hayes stepped forward.
MASTER CHIEF HAYES: "The incident in the ballroom will be documented separately. The security team has preserved the relevant witness information."
Alexander said nothing.
Richard turned another page.
RICHARD: "There is also a property transaction involving Harbor House."
He placed a copy of a transfer document on the table.
RICHARD: "The property was assigned a valuation, and an agreement was prepared to move its beneficial interest into a separate company."
ISABELLA: "Who owns that company?"
RICHARD: "The registered structure lists an intermediary entity. We are identifying the individuals who ultimately control it."
Victoria's face changed again.
ISABELLA: "Mother, did you approve this?"