"You did?"
"Not as lead counsel. I was working for a firm that represented several affected investors."
"What happened?"
James looked down at the photograph.
"Officially, the investigation concluded that the losses resulted from poor management and unauthorized transfers by several employees."
"And unofficially?"
"Unofficially, there were questions about senior management that were never properly answered."
"Was Richard involved?"
James considered the question.
"I cannot tell you that based on what we have. But I can tell you that his name appeared in the preliminary investigation."
Evelyn felt her stomach tighten.
"Why wasn't he charged?"
"Insufficient evidence. Several documents disappeared, witnesses changed their statements, and the companies involved reached private settlements."
"Who organized those settlements?"
James looked at her.
"Victor Lawson."
The room became silent.
Evelyn slowly leaned back.
The same man had been involved in the old investigation, had met Richard on the day Horizon's budget changed, and was now connected to the company receiving the missing money.
She finally understood why the photographs had frightened Richard.
This was not merely an internal accounting problem.
It was the possible return of a scandal that had been buried for more than a decade.
James closed the folder.
"I strongly recommend that we prepare a formal report."
"Will you represent me?"
"Yes, provided we establish a clear record of the documents and your role in obtaining them."
Evelyn nodded.
"Then let's proceed."
James reached for his phone.
"There's one more thing we should do."
"What?"
"Find Olivia Harrington."
Evelyn looked at him.
"Why?"
James opened a drawer and removed an old business card.
"Because I remember her name from the original Sterling Capital investigation."
He placed the card on the desk.
"She was listed as a potential witness. But she never gave a statement."
Evelyn stared at the name.
Olivia Harrington.
Richard's daughter.
The woman Rachel believed might know what happened to the original investment.
James looked at her.
"If she's willing to speak, she could be extremely important."
Evelyn picked up the card.
For the first time, she felt that the investigation was moving in a direction that might finally lead to the truth.
But she also knew that finding Olivia would not be easy.
Especially if Richard was already trying to reach her.
And somewhere across the city, Olivia Harrington was preparing to make a decision she had avoided for twelve years.
A decision that would change everything.
***
At precisely eleven o'clock, a black car stopped outside a quiet hotel.
A woman stepped out.
She was in her late thirties, elegantly dressed, with shoulder-length brown hair and a calm but guarded expression.
She carried a small suitcase in one hand.
Her name was Olivia Harrington.
She had returned to the country three days earlier after spending several years abroad.
She had not told her father.
She had not contacted any of her former colleagues.
And she had certainly not planned to become involved in Harrington Global again.
But that morning, she had received a message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph.
The image showed her father sitting across from Victor Lawson.
Below it were six words.
"Your father is doing it again."
Olivia had stared at the photograph for nearly an hour.
Then she had called the number.
Nobody answered.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Finally, she received another message.
"If you want to know what happened to your brother, find Evelyn Carter."
Olivia felt her hands go cold.
Her brother.
The one subject she had spent twelve years trying not to discuss.
She entered the hotel and walked toward the reception desk.
As she waited for her room key, her phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a name she had not seen in years.
Richard Harrington.
She stared at the screen.
For a moment, she considered ignoring it.
Then she answered.
"Hello, Father."
Richard's voice sounded tired.
"Olivia."
"What do you want?"
"I need to see you."
"Why?"
"There's a problem at the company."
Olivia gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"There's always a problem at the company."
"This is different."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
She looked toward the hotel window.
"Does it have something to do with Victor Lawson?"
Silence.
Then Richard spoke.
"Where did you hear that name?"
Olivia closed her eyes.
There it was.
The same reaction she remembered from twelve years earlier.
The same hesitation.
The same fear.
"That's not important."
"Olivia, listen to me. You need to stay away from him."
She almost laughed again.
"You are the one who brought him into our lives."
"That was a long time ago."
"Not long enough."
Richard's voice became more urgent.
"I want you to come to my office."
"No."
"Please."
She had never heard him use that word so quietly.
For a moment, she felt the old instinct to protect him.
Then she remembered the night her brother disappeared.
She remembered the unanswered questions.
She remembered the funeral nobody had been able to explain.
And she remembered her father's promise that everything would eventually make sense.
Twelve years had passed.
Nothing had made sense.
"I won't come to your office," she said.
"Then where?"
Olivia looked down at the message on her phone.
"Somewhere neutral."
Richard hesitated.
"All right."
"And one more thing."
"Yes?"
"If you lie to me again, Father, I will make sure everyone knows what happened."
She ended the call.
Then she picked up her room key and walked toward the elevator.
For the first time in twelve years, Olivia Harrington was ready to confront the past.
And Evelyn Carter had no idea that the woman she was searching for was already preparing to enter the story.
**End of Part 2**