Chapter 7: My Father Was the One They Blamed
“Robert did.””
Richard's accusation hung in the ballroom.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then I turned toward my father.
“Dad?””
He stood beside the broken wooden box, his shoulders slightly hunched. His expression wasn't anger.
It was disappointment.
“Daniel,” he said quietly, “I need you to listen before you decide what to believe.””
Richard seized the opportunity.
“Your father has been manipulating you from the beginning. Think about it. An old man suddenly appears with a multimillion-dollar property and a dramatic story about your mother.””
“Shut your mouth,” I said.
Richard laughed.
“Ask him about the $185,000. Ask him why that money disappeared from your joint account.””
I turned toward Dad.
“Do you know anything about this?””
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
Dad reached inside his jacket and removed a folded receipt.
“I transferred money yesterday.””
Vanessa gasped.
“You see? He admitted it!””
But Dad ignored her.
“I didn't transfer it to Gregory Shaw. I transferred it to an escrow account belonging to Michael's law firm.””
Michael immediately stepped forward.
“That's correct. The money was moved to protect it after I discovered suspicious activity involving the joint account.””
Richard's expression changed.
“That's impossible.””
Michael opened his briefcase.
“The transfer was authorized by Mr. Carter, who is a joint account holder. The funds remain untouched in a protected client account.””
I stared at the documents.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
Dad lowered his eyes.
“Because I wanted Michael to verify what was happening before I brought you into it.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“You had no right to move our money!””
I turned toward her.
“It's our money. Why are you more upset about where it went than about the fact that someone sent $185,000 to Gregory?””
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Michael placed another document on the table.
“There's something else. The original transfer request was initiated from a device registered to the Mitchell Development Group office.””
Richard shook his head.
“My employees have access to company devices.””
“Correct,” Michael replied.
“And the login credentials used belonged to your daughter.””
Vanessa looked at her father.
“Dad?””
Richard didn't answer.
“Dad, tell them you didn't use my account.””
He stared at her.
Then he said something that made her stagger backward.
“I was trying to save the company.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
“You used my account?””
“I was going to replace the money.””
“You told me it was secure!””
“Vanessa, I had no choice.””
“You told me Daniel's family would help us!””
Richard grabbed her shoulders.
“Because they were going to! Your husband was going to inherit millions. We needed a little time to arrange everything.””
I stepped between them.
“Don't touch her.””
Richard released her.
I looked at Michael.
“Is there evidence that my father authorized any of this?””
“No,” Michael answered.
“In fact, the documents suggest the opposite.””
Dad quietly placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Son, there's something I should have told you months ago.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
He looked at the broken wooden box.
“Your mother and I didn't simply build that estate as a gift. We placed it inside a family trust.””
Michael nodded.
“The Carter Family Trust was established twenty-two years ago. Robert is the current trustee, and Daniel is the sole intended beneficiary.””
Richard's expression shifted.
“What?””
“The property cannot be transferred, mortgaged, or sold without the trustee's approval and compliance with the trust's terms.””
I looked at Dad.
“So Vanessa couldn't have used the marriage agreement to get the house?””
“Not legally,” Michael explained.
“But someone could still attempt fraud, obtain financing using forged documents, or create expensive legal complications.””
Richard laughed nervously.
“Then this whole thing is pointless. Nobody could have taken the property.””
Michael closed the folder.
“That's not entirely true. They could have attempted to obtain financing using fraudulent representations. And if the lender had accepted those representations, the resulting dispute could have placed the estate in serious legal jeopardy.””
Dad looked at Richard.
“You knew that.””
Richard said nothing.
The officer approached him.
“Mr. Mitchell, we'd like you to accompany us for further questioning.””
Richard straightened his tie.
“I have attorneys.””
“That's fine, sir.””
Vanessa began sobbing.
“Dad, what have you done?””
He turned toward her.
“Everything I've done was for this family.””
“No,” she whispered.
“You did it for your company.””
Richard was escorted toward the exit.
But just before leaving, he turned around.
“You think you've won, Daniel? You have no idea what's coming.””
The officer guided him through the doors.
Patricia followed, crying.
The ballroom slowly emptied.
Guests avoided looking at me. Some whispered. Others quietly gathered their belongings.
I didn't care.
My wedding was over.
Or at least, the wedding I had imagined was.
Vanessa approached me.
“Daniel, can we talk?””
I looked at her.
“About what?””
“About us.””
I almost laughed.
“You mean the marriage agreement, the fake authorization, the property investigation, or the money your father transferred?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I was scared. My father told me the company was about to collapse. He said if we didn't find a solution, hundreds of people would lose their jobs.””
“So you decided to use me.””
“No! I loved you.””
“Then why did you hide everything?””
She reached for my hand.
I stepped away.
Her face crumpled.
“Daniel, please. Don't make a decision tonight.””
I looked down at the broken wooden box.
A small piece of paper was still trapped beneath one of its wooden panels.
I carefully pulled it free.
It was a handwritten note from my mother.
The paper was yellow with age.
On the outside were five words:
For the woman Daniel marries.
I looked at Dad.
He nodded.
“Your mother wrote that before she died.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“What's inside?””
I unfolded it.
The first line made my chest tighten.
To the woman who becomes my son's wife, please remember that the greatest thing he will ever inherit is not money.
I swallowed hard.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
And suddenly, I understood why Dad had brought that wooden box to my wedding.
May you like
My mother hadn't just left me a house.
She had left a warning.
