Chapter 7: The Betrayal Inside My Own Company
For eleven years, I had trusted Daniel Price with the financial heart of Carter Holdings.
He had sat beside me through acquisitions, negotiated with banks during our most difficult years, and helped protect the company when a former business partner tried to force us into bankruptcy.
I had attended his daughter's wedding.
I had sent flowers when his wife underwent surgery.
And I had never once questioned his loyalty.
Now security footage showed him attempting to enter my estate's administrative office with Vanessa Mitchell standing beside him.
I watched the recording twice.
The first time, I searched for an explanation.
The second time, I stopped searching.
"Get me Daniel on the phone," I told Richard.
My attorney shook his head.
"Not yet. We need to preserve the footage and establish precisely what happened before we alert anyone who might interfere with the evidence.""
Ethan stood beside me, staring at the frozen image on Richard's screen.
"Mom, what if he's been working with George all along?""
"Then we'll establish that.""
"But he has access to everything. Our contracts, the property records, the financial statements—"
"Not everything," Richard interrupted.
"The company has independent controls, and certain transactions require additional authorization. We need to determine whether those safeguards were bypassed, but we shouldn't assume that every system has been compromised.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Daniel stood close to Vanessa, holding a folder beneath one arm. She was speaking to him, her face turned toward the administrative office door.
There was no sign of confusion.
No indication that she had accidentally wandered into the wrong corridor.
They looked like people who had arranged to meet.
"How long was Daniel at the estate?"" I asked.
"Security estimates twelve minutes," Richard replied.
"He arrived shortly before the attempted access. He left through the service entrance after the card was rejected.""
"And Vanessa?""
"She returned to the garden approximately five minutes later.""
I looked across the lawn.
The guests were beginning to depart. Some avoided looking at me. Others offered awkward apologies as they passed.
Noah, the young waiter, approached carrying a dry coat he had found in the staff room.
"Mrs. Carter?""
I turned.
"Yes, sweetheart?""
He held out the coat.
"I thought you might be cold.""
I accepted it.
"Thank you, Noah.""
He glanced at the security personnel near the side entrance.
"Is everything all right?""
"Not quite.""
He hesitated.
"There's something I should tell you.""
Richard closed his briefcase.
"What is it?""
Noah lowered his voice.
"Before the party started, Ms. Mitchell asked me to take a folder to the administrative office. She said it was for the estate manager.""
My pulse quickened.
"What folder?""
"A black one. She told me not to open it.""
"Did you deliver it?""
"No, ma'am. The estate manager was busy, so I left it on the service desk. When I came back, it was gone.""
Richard exchanged a glance with me.
"Did you see who took it?""
Noah nodded.
"Mr. Price. The man in the gray suit. He came through the service corridor and picked it up.""
"Did he know you had seen him?""
"I don't think so.""
I placed a hand on Noah's shoulder.
"You did the right thing telling us.""
He looked uncertain.
"Will I get in trouble?""
"No.""
"Ms. Mitchell said I shouldn't talk about anything that happened tonight.""
I felt anger rise again, but I kept my voice gentle.
"Noah, you are not responsible for protecting people from the consequences of their own decisions.""
He nodded, visibly relieved.
Richard asked him to write down what he remembered while the details were fresh. Noah agreed, then returned to the staff area.
Ethan watched him leave.
"She threatened to fire him for helping you," he said quietly.
"Then she used him to move something into the office.""
"We don't yet know what was in the folder," Richard reminded him.
"But we know she was there with Daniel.""
"Yes.""
I looked toward the mansion.
"Find out whether the office has a secondary entrance.""
Richard made a call to the estate manager.
While he spoke, Ethan pulled out his phone.
"Vanessa is still here.""
I turned.
She stood beneath the oak trees, speaking to her mother beside a parked black SUV. Her posture was rigid, and she kept glancing toward the mansion.
Ethan began walking toward her.
I caught his arm.
"Wait.""
He looked at me.
"Mom, I need answers.""
"So do I. But if she knows what we've discovered, she may leave before we understand the connection.""
"What do you want me to do? Pretend I still trust her?""
"No. Ask her one question she won't expect.""
He frowned.
"Which question?""
I looked at the image on Richard's phone.
"Ask her why she was carrying a key card issued to Bellhaven Property Ventures.""
Ethan stared at me for a moment.
Then he nodded.
He crossed the lawn.
Vanessa noticed him approaching and immediately moved away from her mother.
"Ethan, darling.""
"Don't call me that.""
Her smile collapsed.
"Please. We need to talk.""
"You're right. We do.""
He stopped several feet away from her.
"Why were you with Daniel Price outside the administrative office?""
Vanessa's face went blank.
"Who?""
"Daniel Price. Carter Holdings' chief financial officer.""
"I don't know what you're talking about.""
Ethan took out his phone and showed her the photograph.
For a fraction of a second, fear flashed across her face.
Then she recovered.
"I was asking him for help.""
"What kind of help?""
She looked around.
"Not here.""
"That seems to be everyone's favorite answer tonight.""
"Ethan, please. I was trying to protect you.""
"By entering an office you weren't authorized to enter?""
"I didn't know I wasn't authorized.""
"You were carrying a Bellhaven key card.""
She swallowed.
"My father gave it to me.""
"Why?""
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
"He said it would open the office.""
"Why would your father give you a key card to my mother's administrative office?""
"I told you. I was trying to help.""
"Help whom?""
She looked toward the SUV.
Patricia was standing beside the passenger door, speaking urgently to George.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"My father said Daniel could explain everything. He told me the agreement was almost finalized and that your mother was going to cancel it because she wanted to destroy our family.""
Ethan stared at her.
"You believed him?""
"I didn't know what else to believe.""
"You could have asked my mother.""
"You would have taken her side!""
"She's my mother!""
"And I'm supposed to be your wife!""
The words came out louder than Vanessa intended.
Several departing guests turned toward them.
She lowered her voice again.
"I have spent months trying to make this work, Ethan. My father told me the acquisition would save our family. He said the money would solve everything. I thought if I could help him secure the documents, we could finish the deal and move forward with our lives.""
Ethan looked as though he had stopped breathing.
"You knew about the documents.""
"I knew there was an agreement.""
"Did you know my mother's signature was forged?""
Vanessa looked down.
"Did you?"" he repeated.
She whispered, "I suspected.""
The answer struck harder than a denial.
Ethan stepped back.
"You suspected my mother's signature was fake, and you still helped your father?""
"I didn't sign it!""
"That isn't what I asked.""
Vanessa's tears spilled over.
"I thought he would fix it before anything happened.""
"How?""
She shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Then why did you help him?""
"Because he said we would lose everything if the deal failed!""
Ethan stared at her for several seconds.
Then he asked the question I knew had been waiting inside him since the beginning of the evening.
"Did you love me before you knew what my family could give you?""
Vanessa pressed both hands against her mouth.
"Ethan—"
"Answer me.""
She looked at him with desperate, frightened eyes.
"I loved you.""
"That isn't an answer.""
"I do love you!""
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them, something had changed.
"I don't think you know what love means.""
Vanessa grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't leave me. Please. I made mistakes, but we can fix this.""
He gently removed her hand.
"You had a chance to tell the truth. You chose not to.""
He turned away.
Vanessa called after him.
"Ethan! If you walk away now, my father will lose everything!""
He stopped.
Slowly, he looked back.
"What about my mother? What about the company she spent her life building? What about the employees whose jobs could be threatened by this?""
Vanessa had no answer.
Ethan returned to me.
He looked pale, but his voice was steady.
"She knew the agreement was suspicious.""
I nodded.
"Did she admit to knowing it was forged?""
"She said she suspected it.""
Richard joined us, ending his call.
"I've spoken to the estate manager. The administrative office has a separate service entrance. The lock wasn't forced, but the access system recorded the rejected card. We're preserving the electronic logs.""
He looked at the photograph again.
"We've also received confirmation that Daniel Price left the estate at 6:52 p.m.""
"Can you locate him?"" I asked.
"We're contacting him through the company's formal channels.""
My phone rang.
It was the head of security at Carter Holdings.
I answered.
"Margaret, we have a situation.""
"What kind?""
"Mr. Price has just entered the company's headquarters downtown. He's attempting to access the executive records room.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Has he been stopped?""
"Not yet. He's a senior executive, so his credentials are valid.""
"Lock down the records room. Preserve the access logs. Nobody deletes or removes anything without authorization.""
"We're on it.""
I ended the call.
Richard's expression was grim.
"He's moving before we can question him.""
Ethan looked toward the SUV.
George Mitchell was already in the driver's seat. Patricia sat beside him, while Vanessa stood beside the open rear door.
Her father leaned across the console and shouted something I couldn't hear.
Vanessa looked toward us.
For one second, our eyes met.
Then she climbed into the vehicle.
As the SUV pulled away, Richard's phone vibrated.
He read the message and looked up.
"Margaret, there's something else.""
"What now?""
"The company has received an urgent request from an outside lender. They claim Carter Holdings has already approved a major transfer of assets.""
I stared at him.
"That's impossible.""
"Yes. But they've attached a second document.""
He turned the screen toward me.
It bore my signature.
This time, however, the document contained something far more dangerous than a proposed property sale.
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It was a purported authorization to transfer control of Carter Holdings' primary operating account.
And Daniel Price's electronic approval appeared beneath it.
