His lawyers advised him to disappear from public view until the matter was resolved.
During that period, he lost contact with Eleanor.
He sent letters.
He made phone calls.
But none of them reached her.
Meanwhile, Eleanor had discovered she was pregnant.
She tried contacting Richard through his business office.
Every attempt failed.
Eventually, someone told her that Richard had deliberately abandoned her.
Heartbroken and frightened, she left the city.
She raised Victoria alone.
Richard never knew he had a daughter.
The letter ended with a final message.
I never wanted Victoria to grow up believing she had been unwanted. I told her you were someone I once loved, but I never told her the entire story. If she comes looking for you, please don't punish her for the mistakes we made when we were young.
Richard lowered the letter.
His eyes were full of tears.
"I didn't know," he whispered.
Victoria looked at him.
"I know."
He turned toward her.
"I swear to you, I didn't know."
Victoria nodded.
"That's why I came."
CHAPTER 4: THE MAN WHO STOLE THE TRUTH
Charles Whitmore had been standing silently beside Richard.
But the more he heard, the more uncomfortable he became.
He knew something about the past.
Something he had spent decades trying to keep buried.
Twenty-five years earlier, Charles had worked as a junior executive for Richard's aviation company.
He had been responsible for managing correspondence, business schedules, and investor communications.
When Richard was preparing to leave the country, Charles had been instructed to forward several personal letters to Eleanor.
But he never sent them.
Instead, he intercepted them.
He believed Richard's relationship with Eleanor would distract him from his business ambitions.
He also feared that a marriage could complicate the ownership structure of the company.
So he made a decision.
He told Eleanor that Richard had left the country and wanted nothing more to do with her.
He told Richard that Eleanor had moved away and refused to receive his messages.
He destroyed their correspondence.
Then he quietly built his own position inside the company.
Over the years, he became Richard's most trusted adviser.
He had convinced himself that he had protected the business.
But now Victoria was standing in front of him.
And the truth was beginning to emerge.
Richard noticed Charles's expression.
"Is something wrong?"
Charles quickly shook his head.
"No, Richard. I'm simply surprised."
Richard studied him.
"Have you ever heard the name Eleanor Hayes?"
Charles paused.
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"I worked with many people back then."
Richard looked at him carefully.
"Did you handle my correspondence during that period?"
Charles nodded.
"Some of it."
Richard's voice became colder.
"Then we will discuss that later."