Chapter 2 — The Question That Ended Everything
Chapter 2 — The Question That Ended Everything
The house fell silent.
No one answered.
Ryan's phone slowly lowered.
Linda's face turned white.
My father didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
He held up the bank statements that had spilled from my suitcase.
"I asked you a question."
His eyes locked onto Ryan.
"Where did you get my daughter's inheritance?"
Ryan swallowed.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
My father gave a small nod.
"As expected."
He looked toward the front door.
"Come in."
Three people entered.
My family's attorney.
A forensic accountant.
And a detective from the financial crimes unit.
The detective walked straight toward Ryan.
"Mr. Carter?"
Ryan frowned.
"Yes?"
"We have a warrant to seize your electronic devices."
Linda gasped.
"You can't do that!"
The detective calmly unfolded the document.
"We already are."
Ryan backed away.
"This is ridiculous!"
The forensic accountant opened the folder labeled Langford Family Trust.
"Mrs. Carter inherited twenty million dollars from her grandmother."
"Every dollar was placed into a protected trust."
He looked at Ryan.
"Except someone forged her digital authorization."
Ryan's face lost all color.
"It wasn't me."
The accountant continued.
"Over the last eighteen months..."
"...more than six million dollars was quietly transferred into shell companies."
He paused.
"Companies controlled by Ryan Carter."
Silence.
Linda stared at her son.
"You said the business was making money..."
Ryan couldn't speak.
My father slowly knelt beside me as paramedics entered the house.
He gently held my hand.
"You're safe now."
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For the first time that day...
I believed him.
