RICHARD: "Your father created the protected arrangement because he was concerned about the financial risks surrounding the family business. He wanted to make sure that his medical care and the preservation of Harbor House would never depend on the success or failure of Alexander's investments."
Naomi looked toward Sebastian.
He stared at the table.
RICHARD: "The first major disagreement occurred when Montgomery Strategic Holdings began experiencing financial difficulties."
NAOMI: "What kind of difficulties?"
RICHARD: "Delayed payments, outstanding obligations, and projects that failed to generate their expected returns."
Sebastian immediately interrupted.
SEBASTIAN: "Every business has difficult periods. That doesn't mean anyone did anything wrong."
RICHARD: "No one is making that conclusion. But the records show that money from the protected fund was transferred into accounts connected to your company."
NAOMI: "How much?"
Richard placed a summary sheet on the table.
RICHARD: "The amount currently traced exceeds two hundred thousand dollars."
Naomi stared at the figure.
She had expected questionable payments. She had not expected such a large amount.
NAOMI: "And this was money meant for Father's care?"
RICHARD: "Some of it was. The fund also covered the preservation of Harbor House and other protected obligations."
Naomi remembered the money she had sent to Eleanor.
She remembered postponing personal expenses because she wanted to make sure her father received the best care possible.
NAOMI: "I transferred money to Mother during that period. I was told it was for his treatment."
ELEANOR: "I used it to manage the family's expenses."
NAOMI: "You specifically told me it was for his medical bills."
ELEANOR: "There were many expenses. You weren't here to understand everything."
Naomi's expression changed.
NAOMI: "I wasn't there because I was serving. I still tried to help."
ELEANOR: "You always make it sound as though you sacrificed more than everyone else."
NAOMI: "I never said that. I only wanted Father to be taken care of."
Richard placed another document beside the transaction summary.
RICHARD: "We have records of Naomi's transfers. We are comparing the dates and amounts against the accounts that received the money."
Naomi looked at him.
NAOMI: "Can you trace where every payment went?"
RICHARD: "That is the objective. The initial records show that some payments entered accounts unrelated to the medical providers."
Eleanor looked away.
Sebastian leaned forward.
SEBASTIAN: "You're acting as though the company took the money and disappeared. The funds were used for investments. The family expected a return."
RICHARD: "Then we need the investment agreements and repayment records."
SEBASTIAN: "Those documents exist."
RICHARD: "Good. They should be provided."
Sebastian said nothing.
Richard turned to a property report.
RICHARD: "There is another issue with Harbor House. The property valuation was changed before the proposed transfer."
He showed Naomi two figures.
The second valuation was significantly lower than the first.
NAOMI: "Why was it reduced?"
RICHARD: "The later report excluded several improvements and certain land features. We need to establish whether that was a legitimate assessment."
NAOMI: "Could someone have deliberately undervalued the property?"
RICHARD: "That possibility is being examined."
Naomi looked at the photograph attached to the report.
It showed Harbor House surrounded by the garden her father had maintained.
She remembered the first time he taught her to swim in the small cove nearby. She remembered how he used to tell her that a house was not valuable simply because of its size or location. Its real value came from the memories created inside it.
Now that place had become part of a financial dispute.
NAOMI: "Father never wanted to sell it."
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "His original instructions are very clear."
Eleanor stood abruptly.
ELEANOR: "I will not sit here while you make me look like a criminal."
Naomi looked up.
NAOMI: "Nobody is asking you to confess to anything. We're asking you to explain the documents."
ELEANOR: "I did what I believed was necessary to protect this family."
NAOMI: "Then why did you keep me away from the decisions?"
Eleanor did not answer.
Richard removed a smaller envelope.
RICHARD: "There is something else Frank left for you."
Naomi recognized the handwriting on the front.
Her father's.
She carefully opened it.
Inside was a letter written in his familiar style.
"My dearest Naomi,
If you are reading this, I am sorry that I could not explain everything to you myself.
I hope you never believe that choosing your own path meant abandoning me. I was proud of you every day, even when I could not say it often enough.
I know there have been disagreements within the family. I know you have sometimes been made to feel that you were wrong for asking questions or choosing a life different from the one expected of you.
Please do not carry that burden.