Chapter 5: What the Drive Carried
Daniel's lawyer arrived at seven the next morning.
Her name was Sophie Reeves — forty-three, sharp, the kind of woman who read contracts the way other people read faces.
She had represented Daniel personally for six years.
She set her bag on the dining room table, accepted the coffee Marissa brought without looking up, and read the guardianship document in full silence.
When she finished, she set it down and looked at Daniel.
"The signature is forged," she said.
"I know."
"Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.
The language is precise.
The filing instructions are correct.
If this had been submitted before you returned—" She stopped.
"It would have been a real problem."
"How real?"
"Guardianship challenges take time.
Even fraudulent ones.
Especially when the petitioner is a blood relative with resources." She folded her hands.
"Your mother could have had interim custody of Noah for weeks before a court reversed it.
And during that time—"
"She could have used him to pressure me."
Sophie looked at him steadily.
"What does she want you to sign?"
"I don't know yet." Daniel placed the envelope on the table.
"But I think this does."
Sophie looked at the envelope.
Then at Daniel.
"Where did this come from?"
"Victor dropped it.
My housekeeper recovered it."
"Has it been opened?"
"No."
Sophie put on a pair of reading glasses, picked up the envelope, and examined the outside.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"Before we open this, I want to be clear.
Whatever is on this drive may be evidence.
If it is, how we handle it from this point matters legally."
"Open it."
She removed the drive carefully, using a cloth from her bag.
She plugged it into her laptop.
One folder.
Twelve files.
All video.
She opened the first one.
The footage was interior.
Security camera quality — slightly grainy, time-stamped.
The room was a private office Daniel recognized immediately.
His father's study.
The one that had been locked since the funeral.
The man on screen was not his father.
It was Victor.
He was seated at his father's desk, going through the drawers.
Methodically.
Unhurried.
The timestamp read fourteen months ago — eight months after the funeral, six months after the estate had been formally settled.
Sophie opened the second file.
Same room.
Victor again, this time with a second person whose face wasn't visible.
Papers exchanging hands.
Third file.
A phone call, audio only.
Victor's voice was clear.
*"She doesn't need to know the full amount.
Just enough to keep her cooperative.
The rest goes through the secondary account before the quarterly audit."*
Sophie paused the audio.
The room was very quiet.
"Daniel," she said carefully.
"How much do you know about your father's estate settlement?"
"I inherited the primary holdings.
Victor managed the transition as executor.
My mother received her portion under the original will."
"Did you review the secondary accounts personally?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Victor handled the accounting."
Sophie turned back to the screen.
She opened the fourth file.
Then the fifth.
By the seventh file, she stopped opening them in order and went directly to the last one.
It was a document scan.
A transfer agreement.
Dated eleven months ago.
The signature at the bottom was Daniel's.
Except Daniel had never signed it.
"That's the second forged signature," Sophie said quietly.
"Same hand as the guardianship document, I'd guess.
We'll need a forensic analyst to confirm."
"What does the transfer cover?"
"Approximately forty percent of the Carter secondary holdings." She looked up.
"Moved into a private account.
The account name is a numbered company." She scrolled.
"Registered in Victor's name."
Daniel sat back in his chair.
"Victor wasn't just helping your mother," Sophie said.
"He was using her plan as cover.
If the guardianship went through, if you were under pressure, if you were distracted by Clara and Noah — you might have signed a dozen things without reading them carefully." She paused.
"He may have been doing this for over a year."
"And Evelyn?"
Sophie looked at the envelope again.
"The label says *For Evelyn.* Which means either Victor was planning to share this with her as leverage — or he was planning to use it against her."
"To keep her in line."
"Or to protect himself if she ever tried to cut him out." Sophie closed the laptop.
"Either way, this drive was not meant for you to find."
A sound from the doorway.
Both of them turned.
Evelyn was standing at the entrance to the dining room in her dressing gown, her hair not yet done, looking at the laptop on the table.
Her eyes moved to the drive still plugged into the side of it.
Her face went very still.
"Good morning, Mother," Daniel said.
She didn't answer.
May you like
"Sit down," he said.
"We have a great deal to talk about."
