My Stepsister Stole the Designer Dress and Handbag I Worked Six Months to Buy—Then My Stepmother Tried to Slap Me, and Dad Canceled Their $12,000 Hawaii Vacation

Dad photographed the handwritten note and placed the document inside a clear plastic folder.

“Madison, did your mother keep anything else with these papers?””

She nodded.

“There was a flash drive in the drawer. I took it before I came downstairs.””

She reached into the pocket of her pajama bottoms and produced a small silver drive.

Vanessa's name was written on a strip of tape.

Dad held out his hand.

“May I see it?””

Madison hesitated.

“Could there be something bad on it?””

“There could be private information. We'll handle it carefully.””

She handed it over.

Dad didn't plug it into his laptop. Instead, he photographed the drive, wrote down the time, and placed it beside the documents.

“Tomorrow, we'll ask our attorney how to preserve the files properly.””

I stared at the email.

“Why would Daniel be managing an account connected to Mom's money?””

“I don't know,” Dad said.

“But I intend to find out.””

Madison pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I remember Mom talking about Northstar. She said Daniel could make money grow faster than a regular savings account.””

Dad's expression hardened.

“Did she tell you that before or after the withdrawals began?””

“Before. Maybe a year after she married you.””

I looked at Madison.

“Did she ever mention my name?””

She nodded reluctantly.

“She said your account was just sitting there, doing nothing. She told me it was unfair that you had money waiting for you while I had to ask for everything.””

My stomach turned.

“So she decided to take it?””

“I don't know. That's what I thought at first. But then she said you wouldn't need it until you were older, and by then the money would be worth much more.””

Dad pushed the documents aside.

“Did she tell you that she was moving the money into an investment?””

Madison nodded.

“She said you knew about it.””

“I didn't.””

“I know that now.””

She looked at me.

“I should have asked you. I should have said something when I saw the transfer.””

I didn't know what to say.

An apology could be sincere and still arrive too late.

Before I could respond, Dad's phone rang.

The caller ID displayed an unfamiliar Atlanta number.

He answered on speaker.

“Michael Bennett speaking.””

A man's voice came through the phone.

“Mr. Bennett, my name is Daniel Brooks. I believe we need to discuss a financial matter involving your family.””

My skin prickled.

Dad glanced at the documents.

“Funny. Your name has come up several times tonight.””

There was a brief silence.

“I understand Vanessa may have misunderstood certain arrangements.””

“Which arrangements?””

“The investment account. The transfers. The necklace.””

Dad's jaw tightened.

“Are you admitting you received money from my daughter's account?””

“I received funds in connection with an investment arrangement. I was acting in a professional capacity.””

“Then you'll have no objection to providing the documentation.””

“Of course not. But I think we should meet privately.””

“No.””

“Mr. Bennett, this is a sensitive matter. Vanessa is very upset, and I would prefer to resolve things without unnecessary complications.””

Dad's voice turned cold.

“You don't get to decide what complications are necessary. My daughter's money is missing. My credit card was used without my knowledge. And my wife's name appears on documents I never approved.””

“I understand your concern.””

“Then answer this. Who authorized the $15,000 transfer three days ago?””

Daniel paused.

“The transfer was requested by an authorized party.””

“Which party?””

“I can't discuss client information over the telephone.””

“Then speak to our attorney.””

Daniel exhaled.

“Mr. Bennett, I strongly advise you not to rush into legal action. There may be consequences for everyone involved.””

Dad sat straighter.

“Is that a threat?””

“No. I'm trying to help you understand the situation.””

“Here's what I understand. You're a stranger who received money from an account belonging to my daughter. You'll provide the records, or the appropriate authorities can ask you for them.””

Daniel's tone changed.

“You should ask your daughter why her mother was so concerned about the money in the first place.””

I felt my pulse jump.

“What does that mean?”” I demanded.

Daniel ignored me.

“Mr. Bennett, there are things about this account that you may not know.””

“Then tell me.””

“I can't.””

“Goodbye, Mr. Brooks.””

Dad ended the call.

Madison looked terrified.

“He knows something about Mom's money.””

“He certainly wants us to believe he does,” Dad replied.

I picked up the phone.

“Call him back.””

Dad shook his head.

“Not tonight.””

“Why not?””

“Because he knows we're upset, and he wants us to react before we understand what he's holding over us.””

He was right.

I hated that he was right.

I returned to the documents, searching for anything that might explain why Daniel seemed so confident.

Then I noticed the date on the beneficiary transfer application.

Three years earlier.

The same month the withdrawals from my mother's account had begun.

“Dad, look at this.””

He leaned over my shoulder.

The document included a reference number for a financial product opened under Northstar Financial Services.

Beneath the account information was a clause about early withdrawal penalties.

The account holder had agreed to transfer funds into an investment structure that could not be fully liquidated without additional authorization.

Dad read the paragraph slowly.

“This may explain why some of the money was moved around rather than simply withdrawn.””

“But why would Vanessa put my money into an investment?””

“To make it look legitimate. Or because she believed she could profit from it. We don't know yet.””

Madison stared at the page.

“Mom said the account would make Emily rich.””

I looked at her.

“What?””

“She said you wouldn't even notice the money was missing because it would all be growing somewhere else.””

I felt sick.

For three years, I'd been working extra shifts and counting every dollar while someone used my inheritance to finance an investment I hadn't authorized.

Dad closed the folder.

“Tomorrow morning, we contact the bank and our attorney. Nobody touches those accounts until we understand the full picture.””

He walked upstairs to prepare for the morning.

Madison stayed at the table.

“Emily?””

I looked at her.

“I know you hate me right now.””

“I don't hate you.””

She seemed surprised.

“I don't trust you,” I continued.

“That's different.””

She nodded, tears spilling over.

“I deserve that.””

She picked up her phone.

“I want to show you something.””

On the screen was a photograph of Vanessa standing beside a man outside a downtown restaurant.

Daniel Brooks.

They were holding hands.

That wasn't the part that made my stomach drop.

Behind them, parked beside the curb, was a black luxury SUV with a distinctive personalized license plate.

I recognized it immediately.

It belonged to our family attorney, Richard Hale.

I looked up.

“Why is Daniel standing beside Dad's lawyer's car?””

Madison shook her head.

“I don't know. I took this picture three weeks ago. Mom told me Daniel was meeting someone about the investment.””

My mind raced.

Dad had used Richard Hale for years. He'd trusted him with property contracts, business agreements, and the legal arrangements surrounding my mother's estate.

If Daniel had been meeting Richard, then this might not have been a simple case of Vanessa stealing money.

I carried the phone upstairs.

“Dad, you need to see this.””

He examined the photograph.

Then he took off his glasses.

“That's Richard's vehicle.””

“Could he be involved?””

Dad stared at the image for several seconds.

“I don't know.””

He looked toward the office where he'd stored the original estate documents.

“But if Richard had access to your mother's account records, he might know things nobody else does.””

I thought of the altered authorization form.