Chapter 3: The Woman Who Knew Everything
“Margaret?””
The name escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
She approached slowly, her black heels clicking against the marble floor.
Age had changed her appearance. Her hair was almost entirely silver now, and she leaned slightly on a wooden cane.
But her eyes were the same.
Sharp.
Observant.
And filled with something that looked very much like regret.
“Ethan,” she said.
I stepped toward her.
“How did you find me?””
Margaret glanced at Martin.
“He called me.””
I looked at my lawyer.
“You knew she was coming?””
“I knew she had requested a meeting,” Martin answered.
“I didn't know she would attend tonight.””
Margaret reached for my hand.
“I should have come sooner.””
I didn't know what to say.
For three years, I had believed Margaret had abandoned the family business after my father's death.
She had been more than an assistant. She had managed his schedule, handled confidential correspondence, and organized every important company document.
My father trusted her.
So did I.
“What happened?”” I asked.
Margaret looked toward Brooke.
Her face hardened.
“I think everyone deserves to hear the truth.””
Brooke immediately stood.
“This is ridiculous. Margaret, you don't work for Sterling anymore.””
Margaret didn't even look at her.
“I stopped working for Sterling because someone made sure I had no choice.””
Chad stepped forward.
“That's enough. We don't know what she's talking about.””
Margaret finally turned toward him.
“Oh, I remember you, Mr. Wilson.””
Chad's jaw tightened.
“I don't know you.””
“You came to Mr. Sterling's office three days before his death. You told him the company needed emergency financial restructuring.””
“That was my job.””
“You also brought a second set of documents.””
Chad glanced at Brooke.
Margaret continued.
“The documents transferred control of several subsidiary companies into a newly created investment group.””
Brooke crossed her arms.
“Those transactions were approved.””
“Not by Robert Sterling.””
“He signed them.””
Margaret shook her head.
“No. He refused.””
Silence spread across the table.
I stared at her.
“My father refused?””
Margaret nodded.
“He called me that night. He asked me to preserve the original paperwork and make sure the company records couldn't be altered.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because the next morning, your father died. And two days later, I received a call from someone claiming to represent the family. They told me you had approved the restructuring and that I was no longer needed.””
“Who called you?””
Margaret looked at Brooke.
“She did.””
Brooke's face flushed.
“That is a lie.””
Margaret reached into her handbag.
She removed an old mobile phone.
“I kept the voicemail.””
Martin took the phone carefully.
“May I?””
Margaret nodded.
He connected it to a small portable speaker.
A moment later, Brooke's voice filled the ballroom.
“Margaret, this is Brooke. Ethan is in no condition to manage anything. The company has been sold, and there is nothing left for you to protect. If you care about him, you'll stay away and let us handle the remaining arrangements.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Brooke's champagne glass trembled in her hand.
“That recording is edited.””
Margaret shook her head.
“It isn't.””
“You don't understand the circumstances.””
“I understand them very well.””
Chad grabbed Brooke's arm.
“Let's go.””
She pulled away.
“No. We're not leaving.””
I looked at Margaret.
“Why did you keep the recording?””
“Because your father asked me to protect the truth, even if I couldn't protect the company.””
She placed the envelope on the table.
Inside was a photograph of my father sitting behind his office desk.
Beside him was a thick document.
I recognized the cream-colored paper.
The same kind Martin had brought tonight.
My throat tightened.
“What is this?””
Margaret looked at me.
“Your father prepared a final declaration before his death. He knew someone was attempting to take control of the company.””
Brooke shook her head.
“Enough with these stories.””
Margaret ignored her.
“He also discovered that several payments had been made from the company accounts into a private investment fund.””
Martin opened the envelope and examined the attached pages.
His eyebrows rose.
“Margaret, where did you obtain these?””
“From the original archive.””
“Are these the complete records?””
“Not all of them.””
Chad laughed nervously.
“See? She doesn't even have everything.””
Margaret looked directly at him.
“I have enough to establish that money was transferred without proper authorization.””
Chad's expression changed.
“That's an accusation.””
“Yes,” Margaret replied.
“And I am prepared to make it under oath.””
Brooke stepped closer to me.
“Ethan, please.””
Her voice had changed completely.
The sharpness was gone.
The mocking smile had disappeared.
She looked almost like the woman I remembered from before the accident.
“Can we talk privately?””
I studied her face.
“About what?””
“About us.””
“There is no us.””
“Ethan, I made mistakes.””
“You poured champagne on my shirt.””
“That wasn't what I meant.””
“You laughed when Chad mocked my disability.””
Her eyes dropped.
“I was upset.””
“You left me in a hospital bed.””
“I was scared!””
The words came out louder than she intended.
For the first time, she sounded angry rather than embarrassed.
“I was twenty-eight years old! I didn't know how to handle everything. You couldn't walk.
The company was falling apart. Your father was dead. I had to think about my future.””
I stared at her.
“And you thought stealing my future was the best way to protect yours?””
She shook her head.
“I didn't steal anything.””
Martin quietly closed the blue folder.
“Mrs. Wilson, perhaps you should be careful about making further statements.””
Brooke turned toward him.
“I'm not married yet.””
Chad snapped.
“Brooke, stop talking.””
That made her turn.
“Why? What are you afraid of?””
He lowered his voice.
“Not here.””
“Then where? You told me everything was settled!””
Chad's eyes flicked toward the folder.
I noticed.
So did Martin.
“Everything?”” I repeated.
Brooke's mouth fell open.
Chad grabbed her elbow.
“Let's leave.””
This time, she didn't resist.
But before they could take another step, Margaret spoke again.
“There is one more thing.””
I turned.
She was holding a second photograph.
This one showed my father with a younger man standing beside a black luxury car.
The man was Chad.
I stared at the picture.
“Where did you get that?””
“Your father's private archive.””
“Why was Chad meeting him?””
Margaret looked down.
“Because Robert Sterling discovered something about the accident.””
The ballroom went silent.
My fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“What did he discover?””
Margaret swallowed.
“Your father believed the accident wasn't random.””
Brooke closed her eyes.
Chad went pale.
I looked at Martin.
“Did you know about this?””
He shook his head.
“No, Ethan.””
Margaret continued.
“Three days before the crash, your father received information about a vehicle registered to an investment company connected to Chad.””
Chad immediately raised his voice.
“That proves nothing!””
Margaret nodded.
“Perhaps not. But the vehicle was reported missing the night of the accident.””
I felt the room closing around me.
For three years, I had blamed the rain.
The slippery road.
The driver who had crossed the center line.
The terrible luck that had taken my father, my company, and my ability to walk.
Now there was a photograph.
A witness.
And a man who had been standing beside Brooke when she told me I had lost everything.
“Martin,” I said.
“Yes?””
“Secure every original document. Make copies. Contact the investigators.””
“Understood.””
Chad stepped forward.
“You can't do this.””
I turned toward him.
“Watch me.””
Brooke suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
“Ethan, please. You don't understand what you're doing.””
I looked down at her hand.
Then back at her face.
“Then explain it.””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Martin's phone vibrated again.
He read the message and looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He hesitated.
“It's from the forensic accounting team.””
“And?””
“They've identified the destination of the missing company funds.””
I glanced at Brooke.
Then at Chad.
Martin lowered his voice.
“The money wasn't transferred to an overseas account, Ethan.””
“Where did it go?””
He looked at the two people standing in front of me.
“It went into a company registered under Brooke's maiden name.””
Brooke's face drained of color.
And then Margaret quietly added something that made my blood run cold.
“There's one more signature on that account.””
May you like
She pointed at the photograph of Chad.
“It belongs to the person who was driving the night you crashed.””
