RICHARD: "Your father wanted the arrangements kept private. But he also wanted you to be informed if anything happened that could affect the fund."
ELEANOR: "Frank was ill. He changed his mind about many things. You cannot assume every document represents what he truly wanted."
Richard looked at her calmly.
RICHARD: "That is why we have the original instructions."
He turned to a page containing a summary of the protected assets.
RICHARD: "The fund was designed to operate independently from the family's ordinary business accounts. Certain transactions required written authorization and supporting records. No individual was supposed to have unrestricted control."
Naomi looked at the account details.
NAOMI: "And someone moved the money?"
RICHARD: "Several transfers were made that do not appear to match the original instructions."
Eleanor stepped closer.
ELEANOR: "Those funds were used to manage the family. You have no idea how expensive everything became after Frank's health declined."
NAOMI: "I sent money for his medical care. I was told it was going directly toward his treatment."
ELEANOR: "It was used for family expenses."
NAOMI: "That isn't what you told me."
For a moment, Eleanor said nothing.
Sebastian, who had been standing beside the table, gave an impatient laugh.
SEBASTIAN: "This is ridiculous. Dad trusted us to handle the estate. There is no reason to turn ordinary financial decisions into some kind of investigation."
RICHARD: "If the decisions were ordinary and properly authorized, the records will demonstrate that."
SEBASTIAN: "You don't understand how the business works."
RICHARD: "I understand the legal structure your father established."
Sebastian folded his arms.
SEBASTIAN: "Then you should know that business investments sometimes require temporary funding."
RICHARD: "Temporary funding still requires authorization."
Naomi looked between them.
She had never been involved in the family's daily business operations. She knew that Sebastian managed several investment projects, but she had never been told that her father's protected assets were connected to them.
NAOMI: "What business are you talking about?"
Richard turned another page.
RICHARD: "Montgomery Strategic Holdings."
Naomi recognized the name immediately.
Sebastian had mentioned the company several times during family conversations. He described it as a growing investment group with plans to expand into commercial properties and private developments.
He had always spoken about it as though it were destined to become the foundation of the family's future.
NAOMI: "Why would Father's care fund be connected to Sebastian's company?"
RICHARD: "That is one of the questions we are investigating."
SEBASTIAN: "Because the family supported the company. There is nothing unusual about that."
RICHARD: "The issue is not whether the family supported the company. The issue is whether the money was legally available for that purpose."
Eleanor placed her champagne glass on the table.
ELEANOR: "Richard, you are making accusations in front of people who have no business hearing them."
RICHARD: "I am presenting documents to the person your husband specifically named."
Naomi looked at her mother.
NAOMI: "Did Father know about these transfers?"
Eleanor's expression tightened.
ELEANOR: "Your father was dealing with serious health problems. He trusted me to manage the household."
NAOMI: "That still doesn't answer my question."
Richard removed a separate document from the folder.
RICHARD: "There are several transactions that occurred during periods when Frank was receiving medical treatment. Some of the instructions were submitted in his name."
Naomi studied the dates.
One of them was familiar.
It was from a period when she had repeatedly tried to contact her father. She remembered calling the estate and being told that he was resting. She remembered asking whether she could speak to him, only to receive a message from Eleanor saying that he was too tired.
NAOMI: "He was in the hospital on these dates, wasn't he?"
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "According to the medical records, yes."
NAOMI: "Then how could he have authorized these transactions?"
Richard did not answer immediately.
He placed two documents side by side.
RICHARD: "That is precisely why the signatures need to be examined."
Naomi looked at the handwriting.
The signature appeared similar to her father's, but something seemed different. The letters were unusually sharp, and the final stroke was longer than she remembered.
Eleanor noticed where Naomi was looking.
ELEANOR: "His handwriting changed when he became ill. You cannot use that as evidence."
RICHARD: "We are not making a conclusion based on appearance. An independent handwriting examiner has been asked to review the original documents."
Sebastian stepped closer.
SEBASTIAN: "You had no right to take this outside the family."
RICHARD: "Your father instructed me to preserve the records and report any activity that threatened the protected arrangement."
SEBASTIAN: "He was my father too."
RICHARD: "And he was Naomi's father as well. His instructions apply to both of you."