Chapter 6: Three Daughters, One Inheritance
Margaret Ellis lived in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of town.
Her house was a small brick bungalow with white shutters and a garden full of roses.
When we arrived, the front door was open.
That was the first thing that frightened me.
The second was the broken flowerpot on the porch.
Olivia parked across the street.
“Stay behind me,” she said.
We approached carefully.
“Margaret?”” I called.
No answer.
I stepped into the hallway.
A framed photograph lay face down on the floor.
There were papers scattered near the staircase, and one of the kitchen drawers had been pulled out.
“Someone searched the house,” Olivia whispered.
I walked toward the living room.
A lamp had been knocked over.
The curtains were half open.
And on the coffee table sat a cup of tea that was still warm.
“Margaret?””
A faint sound came from upstairs.
We hurried toward it.
At the top of the staircase, a bedroom door stood slightly open.
I pushed it.
Margaret was sitting on the floor beside the bed.
Her glasses were broken.
A thin line of blood ran down her forehead.
“Oh my God!””
I rushed toward her.
“Margaret, what happened?””
She looked at me and began crying.
“He came here.””
“Daniel?””
She nodded.
“He wanted the original will.””
“Where is it?””
Margaret pointed toward the wardrobe.
I opened it.
Inside were several boxes, old account books, and a small locked metal case.
“Is this it?””
She shook her head.
“Under the floorboard.””
Olivia called emergency services while I helped Margaret stand.
We found a loose wooden panel beneath the wardrobe.
Underneath was a sealed envelope wrapped in plastic.
My father's name was written across the front.
*THE CARTER FAMILY TRUST — ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.*
My hands trembled.
“Why did you hide this?””
Margaret sat on the edge of the bed.
“Because your father knew someone would eventually try to manipulate the inheritance.””
I looked at the envelope.
“Who?””
She stared at me.
“Your father suspected that his former business partner would come after the money.””
“Who was his business partner?””
Margaret swallowed.
“Richard Reed.””
I felt a strange chill.
“Reed?””
She nodded.
“Vanessa's mother's brother.””
I looked toward Vanessa.
She had remained near the doorway, pale and silent.
“My uncle?”” she whispered.
Margaret nodded.
“Richard managed several of Robert's property investments. When your father discovered irregularities in the accounts, he ended their partnership.””
“What kind of irregularities?”” I asked.
“Money missing from investment accounts. Property titles transferred without proper authorization. Your father believed Richard had been using company funds for personal expenses.””
I stared at her.
“And Daniel?””
Margaret looked down.
“Daniel worked for Richard.””
The room went silent.
I remembered Daniel telling me about his first job in property development.
He had described Richard Reed as an influential businessman who had given him his start.
I had never thought to ask why.
“How long have Daniel and Richard known each other?””
“Almost ten years.””
My wedding had taken place five years ago.
Daniel had met me through a charity event organized by my father's former business network.
A cold realization crept through me.
“Did Daniel know who I was when we met?””
Margaret didn't answer immediately.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.””
I gripped the edge of the wardrobe.
“What?””
“He knew your father's identity. He knew about the inheritance. He knew about the property portfolio.””
Olivia stopped speaking on the phone.
Vanessa covered her mouth.
I looked at Margaret.
“Are you telling me my husband married me because of my father's money?””
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
“I believe that was Richard's plan.””
The room seemed to tilt.
Five years.
Five years of shared meals, anniversaries, hospital visits, and whispered promises.
Five years of believing I had found someone who loved me.
“Did my father know?””
Margaret shook her head.
“Not at first. Robert thought Daniel was genuinely interested in you. He only became suspicious shortly before his death.””
I sat down.
“What happened before he died?””
Margaret looked toward the envelope.
“Your father discovered that Richard had been moving money through a company registered under a different name. He planned to confront him. But before he could, he suffered a heart attack.””
I remembered that night.
The phone call.
The hospital corridor.
The doctor telling me there was nothing more they could do.
I had been nineteen.
My father had been fifty-eight.
I wiped my eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me any of this?””
“Your father asked me to protect you until you were thirty. He believed that by then, the family business would be settled and the people involved would have moved on.””
“But they didn't.””
“No.””
Margaret looked toward the window.
“Richard has been waiting for years.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside were copies of the original trust agreement, property records, and several handwritten letters.
The first page listed three beneficiaries.
Nia Carter.
Vanessa Carter.
And a third name.
*Sophie Reed.*
I stared at it.
“Who is Sophie Reed?””
Vanessa slowly stepped closer.
“My cousin.””
Margaret shook her head.
“Not just your cousin.””
Vanessa looked confused.
Margaret continued.
“Your father had a relationship with Richard Reed's wife before he met your mother. Sophie was born from that relationship.””
I stared at the page.
“She's another daughter?””
“Yes.””
My father had three daughters.
Three separate lives.
Three women who had been kept apart by the same man.
“Where is she now?””
Margaret hesitated.
“She lives in Boston. At least, she did when I last spoke with her.””
Vanessa looked at the documents.
“Why would my uncle be involved in all this?””
“Because Richard believes the trust was designed to reward Robert's daughters while leaving him with nothing,” Margaret replied.
I flipped through the pages.
There were property addresses, account numbers, and a list of assets.
Then I found a document that made me stop.
It was a property schedule.
My house was listed.
So were several commercial buildings and rental properties.
At the bottom was a total value.
More than twelve million dollars.
I stared at the number.
“Why did Daniel tell me the portfolio had been sold?””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Because it hasn't.””
I looked up.
“What?””
“The properties still belong to the trust. Your father never sold them. He transferred them into a protected holding company.””
My hands shook as I read the company name.
Carter Family Holdings.
The same name appearing in Daniel's suspicious paperwork.
“Then why is he trying to transfer my house?””
Margaret pointed to a paragraph in the agreement.
“Because your father gave each daughter a defined share, but the property management authority remains restricted until all three beneficiaries are located and independently verified.””
I looked at her.
“Meaning?””
“Meaning nobody can legally take control of the portfolio by obtaining one daughter's signature.””
I slowly understood.
Daniel couldn't access the entire estate.
He needed all three beneficiaries.
Or at least enough forged paperwork to make it appear that they had agreed to transfer their interests.
“That's why he wanted Vanessa,” I whispered.
Margaret nodded.
“He needed her cooperation.””
“And me.””
“Yes.””
“And Sophie.””
Margaret looked away.
“Richard has been trying to locate her for years.””
I turned to Vanessa.
“Did you know any of this?””
She shook her head.
“No. Daniel told me I was receiving one property as part of my father's promise.””
I looked at her.
“Your father?””
She lowered her eyes.
“I know.””
I didn't have the strength to argue.
My phone vibrated.
A new email had arrived from Harrison Property Law Group.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: NOTICE OF DISPUTED PROPERTY TRANSFER.*
I opened it.
Evelyn had attached a copy of the latest filing.
The transfer had been formally challenged.
But there was another document beneath it.
A new authorization request.
This time, it wasn't signed by me.
It was signed by Vanessa.
I looked at her.
“What is this?””
Her face drained of color.
“I didn't sign anything.””
Margaret took the phone.
She examined the document and began shaking her head.
“That's impossible.””
“Why?”” I asked.
She pointed to the date.
The authorization had been submitted that morning.
And beneath Vanessa's signature was a witness statement from someone I had never expected to see.
*Sophie Reed.*
Vanessa grabbed the phone.
“That can't be real. I've never met Sophie.””
Margaret closed her eyes.
“Then Richard has found her.””
I stared at the document.
My father's three daughters were finally being brought together.
But someone was already using one of their names to destroy the others.
And before I could ask another question, my phone rang.
This time, the caller ID displayed a name.
*DANIEL CARTER.*
I answered.
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
“Nia, I know you've found Margaret.””
I said nothing.
He continued.
“You have something that belongs to me.””
I looked at the original trust envelope in my hands.
“What do you want?””
A short pause.
Then Daniel said:
“Bring Vanessa to my office tonight. Come alone. And I'll tell you the truth about your father's death.””
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Because Daniel had just revealed something I had never considered.
Perhaps my father's death hadn't been as simple as I had always believed.
