Chapter 4
Richard read the sentence three times.
Each time, his face became paler.
“That’s impossible.”
I folded the letter against my chest.
“Apparently my mother didn’t think so.”
Martin stepped closer.
“May I?”
I hesitated.
Then handed him the final page.
His eyes moved quickly.
“This says the original Riverside parcel deed was never transferred into Whitmore Holdings.”
Richard shook his head.
“It was transferred in 1998.”
“Do you have the original deed?”
“Of course.”
“Have you personally seen it?”
Richard opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Martin stared at him.
“Richard?”
“I saw copies.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Richard dragged a hand across his face.
“The headquarters was built on land my father acquired with Evelyn’s father.”
I looked at him.
“My grandfather?”
“Thomas Carter.”
I barely remembered him.
He died when I was eight.
He smelled like coffee and cedar.
He used to give Rachel and me silver dollars at Christmas.
“He knew your father?”
Richard nodded.
“Our fathers served in the Army together. Later they bought industrial property along the river when nobody wanted it.”
Martin was still reading.
“The trust agreement references an underlying land partnership.”
Richard frowned.
“That partnership was dissolved.”
“Maybe not.”
The room suddenly felt too small.
Emma was sitting with Rachel on the couch, coloring on the back of an unused wedding menu with a pen.
I looked at her.
Five years old.
She was thinking about hearts and flowers.
Adults around her were talking about millions of dollars.
It made me sick.
“Stop.”
Everyone looked at me.
“I don’t want to discuss this in front of Emma.”
Richard nodded immediately.
“You’re right.”
Rachel took Emma’s hand.
“Come on, bug. Let’s find something to eat.”
“Chicken nuggets?”
“At a wedding?”
Emma brightened.
“Yes.”
Rachel smiled.
“I’ll see what miracles I can perform.”
When they left, I shut the door.
“Now explain.”
Martin placed the letter on the table.
“If Evelyn is correct, the land beneath Whitmore headquarters may still belong to the old partnership.”
“So?”
Richard answered.
“If Thomas Carter retained his partnership interest…”
“He did,” Martin said.
Richard looked at him sharply.
“How do you know?”
Martin tapped the letter.
“Because Evelyn says she inherited it.”
My stomach twisted.
“And now Emma inherits it?”
“Potentially.”
“How much is the land worth?”
Neither man answered.
I stared at them.
“How much?”
Richard finally spoke.
“More than the company shares.”
“That doesn’t answer me.”
“Current market value?”
He exhaled.
“Possibly eighty million.”
I laughed.
I couldn’t help it.
Not because it was funny.
Because the number was insane.
“Eighty million dollars.”
“Possibly more.”
“My mother drove a fifteen-year-old Toyota.”
Richard looked sad.
“Evelyn knew.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It made sense to her.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
My anger rose.
“She worked until she was sick. She worried about medical bills. She apologized because she couldn’t leave us enough money. And all that time she owned land worth tens of millions?”
Martin shook his head.
“She may not have had the legal ability to sell it.”
“Why?”
“Joint ownership disputes. Old partnership restrictions. Missing records. If the deed was never properly registered or if beneficial ownership was tied to conditions, she might have had an asset that was valuable on paper but almost impossible to convert into cash.”
“So she died knowing this existed?”
Richard’s eyes lowered.
“Yes.”
I wanted to be angry at Mom.
I wanted to ask why she hadn’t trusted me.
But she was gone.
And all I had left was six pages of handwriting.
A knock hit the door hard.
Then another.
Richard frowned.
“Who is it?”
“Dad.”
Vanessa.
My body went tense.
Richard moved toward the door.
I stepped in front of him.
“No.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“She slapped mine.”
He stopped.
I opened the door only a few inches.
Vanessa stood outside with mascara streaked beneath her eyes.
One security guard waited several yards away.
She looked at me.
“I need to talk to my father.”
“No.”
“This is family business.”
I almost closed the door.
Then she said, “Your mother was a thief.”
I froze.
Richard shoved the door open.
“Enough.”
Vanessa stepped inside.
“I’m done letting everyone pretend Evelyn Carter was some saint.”
Richard’s expression turned dangerous.
“Leave.”
“She stole that land.”
I stared at her.
“You knew about it.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“Of course I knew.”
Richard looked stunned.
“For how long?”
“Years.”
“You told me the partnership records were destroyed.”
“They should have been.”
The room went silent.
Martin’s face hardened.
“What did you do?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Be careful.”
“No, Vanessa. You be careful.”
He pulled out his phone.
“Anything you say can become evidence.”
She smiled coldly.
“You’re not a prosecutor.”
“No. But I know several.”
Richard stepped toward her.
“What did you destroy?”
Vanessa’s eyes flicked toward the letter on the table.
That tiny movement told me everything.
She recognized it.
I grabbed the letter.
Her face tightened.
“Give me that.”
I backed away.
“No.”
“That belongs to the company.”
“It’s addressed to me.”
“Your mother stole confidential information.”
“This is her handwriting.”
“She stole records.”
Richard blocked Vanessa when she moved toward me.
“Do not touch Claire.”
Vanessa’s jaw clenched.
“You still don’t understand, Dad.”
“Then explain.”
“That property is the company.”
“No. The company operates on it.”
“If the Carters control the deed, they can force a sale.”
Martin nodded.
“Possibly.”
Richard’s head snapped toward him.
Vanessa laughed.
“See?”
I stared at her.
“I don’t want your headquarters.”
“You say that now.”
“I didn’t know it existed an hour ago.”
“You’ll learn.”
“Learn what?”
“To want more.”
I almost pitied her.
Almost.
“You think everyone is like you.”
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“People are exactly like me when enough money is involved.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She pointed toward Richard.
“You think he’s defending you because he cares about your daughter?”
Richard looked furious.
Vanessa kept going.
“He’s terrified.”
“Vanessa.”
“He knows what happens if you control Riverside.”
Richard’s voice thundered.
“Enough!”
But I looked at him.
“What happens?”
He said nothing.
Vanessa smiled.
“What happens, Dad?”
“Don’t.”
She looked directly at me.
“If the Carter estate still owns its partnership interest, Whitmore Holdings has been occupying that land for almost thirty years without a valid lease.”
My heart pounded.
Martin closed his eyes briefly.
Vanessa continued.
“That means your daughter may be entitled to decades of back rent.”
Richard whispered, “Stop.”
“How much?” I asked.
Vanessa smiled.
“Oh, Claire.”
“Tell me.”
“Depending on how a court calculates it?”
She leaned closer.
“Another hundred million.”
I stared at Richard.
“Is that true?”
“It is complicated.”
“That means yes.”
“It means there are competing legal theories.”
“Did my mother know?”
Richard didn’t answer.
I looked at the letter again.
There was one paragraph I hadn’t read carefully.
I unfolded the last page.
If the land records are still intact, you must understand something: I never wanted the Whitmores destroyed. Richard kept his promise to my father. But others in his family will not honor it.
I looked up.
“What promise?”
Richard froze.
Vanessa smiled.
“There it is.”
“What promise?”
Richard’s shoulders dropped.
“My father promised Thomas Carter that the land would always remain jointly controlled.”
“Why?”
“Because Thomas gave him the money to keep the original business alive.”
I couldn’t believe this.
“So my family saved yours twice?”
Richard looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Can we stop worshiping dead accountants?”
Richard turned so quickly she stepped backward.
“You will never speak about Evelyn that way again.”
Vanessa’s face cracked.
“She ruined my life.”
“No.”
“You did.”
“I gave you every opportunity.”
“You gave Daniel the company!”
“I gave both of you positions.”
“You were going to make him CEO.”
“Because he worked.”
“I worked!”
“You spent company money like it was your personal account.”
Vanessa’s cheeks flushed.
“That’s a lie.”
Martin cleared his throat.
“No, it isn’t.”
She turned.
His expression was grim.
“We discovered irregular expense transfers this morning.”
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Richard looked at Martin.
“What transfers?”
“I was going to tell you after the wedding.”
“How much?”
“Approximately six million dollars over four years.”
Richard swayed.
I instinctively stepped forward.
He gripped a chair.
Vanessa looked frightened now.
“Dad, I can explain.”
He stared at her.
“You stole from the company?”
“No.”
“Six million dollars.”
“It was compensation.”
“Unauthorized compensation?”
“You underpaid me!”
Richard laughed weakly.
“You made seven hundred thousand dollars last year.”
“I built the brand.”
“You nearly destroyed it.”
Vanessa’s voice rose.
“I deserved more!”
Richard looked at her for a long time.
Then something in him shut down.
“You’re fired.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“Effective immediately.”
“You can’t.”
“I’m chairman.”
“I’m your daughter.”
“Not relevant.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“You’ll regret humiliating me.”
Richard turned toward Martin.
“Disable every corporate account she has.”
Martin nodded.
“Already started.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“You planned this.”
“No,” Richard said. “You did.”
She grabbed her purse.
Then looked at me.
The hatred on her face was almost physical.
“This isn’t over.”
I held her gaze.
“For my daughter, it is.”
She smiled.
“No, Claire.”
Her voice became quiet.
“It’s just beginning.”
Then she left.
I didn’t realize how serious the threat was until twenty minutes later.
Rachel came running down the hallway without Emma.
Her face was white.
“Claire!”
I jumped up.
“Where’s Emma?”
“She was with me.”
My blood turned to ice.
“What do you mean was?”
“I took her to the kitchen. She wanted dessert. I turned around for maybe ten seconds.”
“Rachel.”
“She’s gone.”
I stopped breathing.
Richard shouted for security.
People started running.
I grabbed Rachel.
“Where did you see her last?”
“Near the service hallway.”
My knees nearly collapsed.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
One photograph.
Emma.
Sitting inside a car.
Crying.
May you like
Under the photograph were seven words.
Give me Evelyn’s letter or lose her.
