Before she could answer, he turned and walked upstairs.
Richard noticed the exchange but continued speaking.
He had no idea that the most dangerous part of the evening had not yet begun.
Ten minutes later, Isabella received a message on her phone.
It came from an unknown number.
There was no greeting.
Only one sentence.
If you want to know what really happened to your mother, come upstairs. Bring the blue folder.
Isabella stared at the screen.
Her heart began beating faster.
She had seen that folder before.
It contained documents she had discovered in her mother's old study two weeks earlier.
At first, she thought they were ordinary financial records.
But one page contained a handwritten note from Eleanor.
The note mentioned a secret account, an unusual transfer, and a name Isabella had never heard before.
She had intended to show the documents to Richard.
But before she could, someone had entered her bedroom and searched through her belongings.
The folder had disappeared.
Until that morning, she had believed it was lost.
Now someone was telling her they knew exactly where it was.
Isabella looked toward her father.
He was surrounded by guests.
She did not want to interrupt his birthday celebration.
So she quietly left the room and walked toward the staircase.
At the top, Daniel was waiting.
“Where is the folder?” he asked.
Isabella stopped several feet away.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don't play games with me.”
“I received a message.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“From whom?”
“I don't know.”
He looked toward the hallway.
“Give me your phone.”
“No.”
“Isabella, I'm asking you nicely.”
She stepped backward.
“Why are you so interested in Mother's documents?”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“Because you have no idea what you're dealing with.”
“Then explain it.”
He looked at her for several seconds.
Then he said something that made her feel as though the floor had shifted beneath her feet.
“Your mother didn't die knowing the truth about this family.”
Isabella went still.
“What does that mean?”
“Ask Father.”
“Daniel…”
“Ask him why she spent the last months of her life trying to protect you from him.”
Isabella shook her head.
“That isn't true.”
“You think you know everything because he tells you bedtime stories about how wonderful your mother was?”
“Stop it.”
“You don't even know who your father really is.”
She stared at him.
For a moment, Daniel seemed almost satisfied by her reaction.
Then Isabella pulled a small folded paper from her purse.
It was the note she had found inside the blue folder.
“I know about the transfers,” she said quietly.
Daniel's expression changed.
“And I know someone used Mother's signature.”
Silence filled the hallway.
“Where did you get that?” he demanded.
“She wrote it herself.”
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
Daniel stepped forward.
Isabella moved backward again.
“I'm going downstairs.”
“You're not going anywhere until you tell me what else you found.”
“Get away from me.”
Daniel reached for her arm.
She pulled away.
The movement was sudden and awkward.
Her heel caught against the edge of the carpet.
For one terrible second, she struggled to regain her balance.
Then she fell.
Her shoulder struck the railing.
Her body twisted as she slid down several steps before landing on the marble floor below.
The sound was horrifying.
Guests screamed.
A glass shattered.
And Richard, who had been standing near the dining room entrance, dropped his microphone and ran toward her.
“Isabella!”
Richard reached his daughter and fell to his knees.
He lifted her carefully.
“Sweetheart, can you hear me?”
Her eyes opened briefly.
She looked terrified.
“Dad…”
“I'm here.”
“Don't let him take it.”
“Take what?”
“The folder.”
Richard looked toward the staircase.
Daniel was standing above them.
His face had lost all color.
“Daniel!” Richard shouted.
But Daniel did not answer.
He simply stared at his sister.
For the first time in years, he seemed to understand the consequences of his actions.
Richard reached for his phone and called emergency services.
“Please, send an ambulance immediately. My daughter has fallen down the stairs. She's barely conscious.”
The operator asked several questions.
Richard answered as quickly as he could.
He was instructed to keep Isabella still and monitor her breathing.
He followed every instruction.
Then he looked down at her red dress.
There was a small dark stain near her waist.
His expression changed.
“Isabella…”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Dad, I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize. Just stay with me.”
She moved her lips.
Richard leaned closer.
“I didn't want to hurt anyone.”
His throat tightened.
“You haven't hurt anyone, sweetheart.”
But Isabella shook her head.
Then she whispered something that Richard would never forget.
“I found the truth about Mom.”
Richard froze.
For several seconds, he could not speak.
“What truth?”
She tried to answer, but her breathing became uneven.
Richard pressed the phone closer to his ear.
“She's getting worse. Please hurry!”
The ambulance was on its way.
But the situation was becoming more serious with every passing second.
Daniel finally rushed down the staircase.
“Father…”
Richard looked up.
His eyes were filled with fury.
“Stay away from her.”
“I didn't mean for this to happen.”
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
Daniel stepped backward.
“Please, listen to me.”
“Stay away!”
The guests had fallen silent.
Some were crying.
Others were recording the scene on their phones.
Nobody understood what had happened.