VICTORIA: "That company was established to protect the family's interests."
RICHARD: "Then its records should be able to demonstrate that."
ALEXANDER: "You're suggesting I stole from my own father?"
RICHARD: "I am saying that funds originally assigned to his care and property obligations were transferred into accounts connected to your company. Whether those transfers were lawful is now being investigated."
Alexander stepped toward Richard.
ALEXANDER: "You'd better be careful about what you say."
Master Chief Hayes moved immediately between them.
MASTER CHIEF HAYES: "Step back."
Alexander stopped.
Isabella watched him carefully. The man who had slapped her moments earlier now seemed uncertain of what to do. His confidence had depended on the assumption that nobody would challenge him.
But Richard had not come alone with an accusation.
He had come with records.
And records did not disappear simply because someone raised their voice.
Richard placed the document back into the folder.
RICHARD: "There is no need to argue about this tonight. The relevant institutions have already been notified. The next stage will involve reviewing the original account statements, transaction authorizations, and company records."
Victoria's face became pale.
VICTORIA: "You contacted the authorities?"
RICHARD: "I fulfilled my legal obligations."
ALEXANDER: "You had no right."
RICHARD: "The law will determine that."
Isabella looked at the documents.
She was beginning to understand why her father had been so careful. The money had not simply disappeared into an unknown account. It had moved through a structure that could make ordinary family transactions appear legitimate.
If the transfers were unauthorized, then someone had deliberately used the appearance of family management to conceal what had happened.
She thought about the months when her father had been ill.
She remembered calling the estate and being told that he was resting. She remembered asking whether he needed anything and hearing Victoria say that everything was under control.
She remembered sending money for additional medical expenses because she had been told that the family's accounts were temporarily tied up.
At the time, she had never questioned it.
She had believed her mother.
ISABELLA: "Richard, I sent money for Father's care."
Richard looked at her.
RICHARD: "I know."
ISABELLA: "I transferred it to the account Mother gave me."
VICTORIA: "Those payments were used for the household."
ISABELLA: "I was told they were for his medical treatment."
VICTORIA: "They were part of the family expenses."
Isabella's expression hardened.
ISABELLA: "That isn't what you told me."
Victoria lowered her eyes for a moment.
RICHARD: "We have records of those transfers too."
He opened another section of the folder.
RICHARD: "Some of the payments Isabella made were deposited into an account that was not directly associated with the medical provider or the protected care fund. We are tracing where the money went after that."
Isabella felt her stomach tighten.
She had not been wealthy in the way her family had been wealthy. Her income came from her military career, and she had spent much of her adult life managing her finances carefully. The money she had sent was not insignificant to her.
She had sent it because she loved her father.
ISABELLA: "How much?"
Richard hesitated.
RICHARD: "We are still reconciling every transaction. The amount confirmed so far is substantial."
ALEXANDER: "This is ridiculous. Dad's treatment cost a fortune. There were bills everywhere. You can't expect every dollar to have a perfect paper trail."
RICHARD: "That is exactly why we are examining the records rather than relying on anyone's memory."
Alexander turned toward Isabella.
ALEXANDER: "You weren't here. You don't know what happened. You were busy building your career and pretending you were better than everyone."
Isabella did not answer immediately.
She remembered her father's hospital room. The quiet machines. The smell of antiseptic. His tired smile when she finally managed to visit after a long period away.
She remembered sitting beside him and holding his hand.
He had looked smaller than she remembered.
He had asked about her work, and she had told him only what she was allowed to share. He had listened carefully, then smiled.
FRANK: "You sound different now."
ISABELLA: "Different how?"
FRANK: "More certain of yourself."
ISABELLA: "I hope that's a good thing."
FRANK: "It is. Never let anyone convince you that doing something meaningful is the same as abandoning the people you love."
She had not understood why he said that at the time.
Now she wondered whether he had already suspected what was happening.
RICHARD: "There is something else in the records that you should know."
He turned to a page marked with a blue tab.
RICHARD: "A document was submitted to change the beneficiary structure of the protected fund. It was presented as an instruction from Frank."
Isabella leaned forward.
ISABELLA: "When?"
RICHARD: "Approximately fourteen months before his death."
ISABELLA: "Was he capable of making that decision?"
RICHARD: "That is one of the questions being reviewed. His medical records indicate that his condition was deteriorating during that period. The timing is important."
Victoria spoke quickly.