Chapter 7: My Mother's Last Warning
I couldn't take my eyes off the envelope.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My mother had written my name in blue ink, with the same careful strokes she used on birthday cards and handwritten grocery lists.
For a moment, I forgot Ethan was standing across the desk.
“Where did you get this?”” I asked.
Ethan swallowed.
“It was included in a storage file connected to the original ownership records.””
“Why do you have it?””
“Daniel asked me to review the documents before the proposed transfer.””
I picked up the envelope.
It was sealed.
The paper had yellowed slightly around the edges, but my mother's handwriting remained clear.
*Nia. Open this only if Daniel betrays you.*
My throat tightened.
My mother had been dead for two years.
She had somehow anticipated something I hadn't even considered.
“Did you read it?”” I asked.
Ethan shook his head.
“No.””
“Does Daniel know it exists?””
His hesitation answered before his words did.
“He knows there was a letter. I don't think he knows what it says.””
I placed the envelope inside my handbag.
“Your suspension begins immediately. Don't access any company systems, contact our investors on company business, or remove any documents.””
Ethan stood.
“You're making a mistake.””
“Perhaps. But it will be my mistake.””
I walked out.
My assistant, Laura, looked up from her desk.
“Is everything okay?””
“No. Please arrange a meeting with our external auditors and legal counsel. I want every transaction involving Daniel's company, Northbridge Ventures, and my personal accounts reviewed.””
“Today?””
“Today.””
She nodded.
Then she noticed the envelope in my hand.
“Is that from your mother?””
I looked down.
“Yes.””
Laura's expression softened.
“Do you want me to make you some coffee?””
I shook my head.
“Just give me ten minutes.””
I went into my office, locked the door, and sat behind my desk.
For several seconds, I simply held the envelope.
Then I broke the seal.
Inside was a folded letter and a small brass key.
I unfolded the paper.
My dearest Nia,
If you're reading this, something has happened that I spent years hoping you would never have to face.
I wanted to tell you everything when you married Daniel. But I made a promise to someone, and I believed keeping that promise would protect you.
I may have been wrong.
I stopped reading.
My mother's words blurred.
I remembered her sitting beside my hospital bed when I was twelve, brushing my hair away from my forehead.
I remembered her teaching me how to balance a checkbook.
I remembered her saying that money was useful, but trust was expensive.
And now I was reading a letter she'd written because she feared the very man I'd married.
I continued.
Before you were born, I entered into a business agreement with a man named Richard Carter.
Richard was Daniel's father.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
He provided early financing for my investment company. At the time, I believed he was a good man. We agreed that his contribution would be repaid through a fixed percentage of the company's profits.
When the company expanded, Richard wanted more control. I refused.
He reminded me that his money had helped build the business.
I reminded him that the money had been repaid.
Our disagreement became ugly.
I turned the page.
Richard eventually tried to claim ownership of a portion of the company through a private agreement. I challenged it. We settled the dispute privately, and I believed the matter was finished.
But before his death, Richard contacted me again.
He told me that his son had become involved with people who were not interested in ordinary business investments.
I stopped.
Daniel's father had died seven years earlier.
My mother had died two years ago.
What had happened between them?
I continued reading.
Richard said Daniel was being pressured to recover money that he believed his family had lost. He feared his son would eventually come looking for what he believed belonged to the Carter family.
I asked him whether he thought Daniel would hurt someone to get it.
Richard didn't answer.
A chill ran down my arms.
The next paragraph was shorter.
I placed the original settlement documents in a safety deposit box. The key is enclosed.
I looked at the brass key.
A small number was engraved on its head.
*184.*
The bank has the instructions under my name. You are the only person authorized to access the box.
There is one more thing, Nia.
Richard Carter never owned the shares he claimed were his.
He only had an option to purchase them under certain conditions.
Those conditions were never met.
I read the final paragraph twice.
If Daniel is attempting to take control of your company, he may be acting on information that was deliberately hidden from him. Find out who has been telling him that the Carter family owns part of your business.
And whatever you do, don't sign anything until you know the truth.
I love you more than anything in this world.
Mom.
I lowered the letter.
My mother's final warning had been waiting for me.
I looked at the brass key.
Then I called Evelyn.
“I need you to come to my office.””
“What's happened?””
“I found something my mother left behind.””
“What kind of something?””
“A safety deposit key. And I think it connects to Daniel's father.””
There was a pause.
“Don't go to the bank alone.””
“I wasn't planning to.””
At 3:30 p.m., Evelyn and I arrived at the bank.
The manager reviewed the authorization documents before escorting us to a private room.
He examined the key.
“Box 184,” he said.
“This account was established by Mrs. Carter almost twelve years ago.””
“Can I access it?”” I asked.
He checked the records.
“Yes, Ms. Carter. Your mother listed you as the sole successor.””
A few minutes later, he returned with a small metal box.
I recognized my mother's initials engraved on the lid.
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside were three folders, a USB drive, and a photograph.
The photograph showed my mother standing beside a younger Richard Carter.
Between them was a large framed document.
On the back, my mother had written:
The day the truth was signed.
Evelyn opened the first folder.
It contained the original investment agreement.
The second folder held a settlement contract.
The third contained a series of letters between my mother and Richard.
Evelyn began reviewing the settlement.
Then she stopped.
“Nia.””
“What?””
She turned the document toward me.
There was a clause highlighted in yellow.
It stated that Richard's family could never claim ownership of Carter Capital unless they fulfilled a specific purchase obligation within five years.
They hadn't.
The option had expired.
I leaned closer.
“So they have no ownership rights?””
“Based on this document, no.””
I looked at the signature.
Richard Carter.
Then I noticed something else.
A second signature appeared beneath his.
*Patricia Carter.*
“Why is Patricia's signature here?””
Evelyn examined the page.
“She appears to have signed as a witness.””
I felt a strange uneasiness.
My mother had known Patricia.
She had known Daniel's family.
And she had left me a warning.
I opened the USB drive folder.
There was a handwritten note.
For Nia. Listen before you decide whom to trust.
Evelyn looked at me.
“Do you want to hear it?””
I nodded.
She placed the drive into her laptop.
A video file appeared.
The date was two months before my mother's death.
My mother appeared on the screen, sitting in her study.
She looked tired, but her eyes were clear.
“Nia, sweetheart,” she began.
I covered my mouth.
It was her voice.
The voice I hadn't heard in two years.
“I hope you're watching this because you've found the documents. If you have, then I'm afraid Richard's warning may have come true.””
She paused.
Then she leaned toward the camera.
“There's something you need to understand about Daniel's family.””
Her expression changed.
“Patricia didn't witness the agreement because she was helping Richard.””
She looked directly into the camera.
“She was the person who tried to change it.””
The video ended.
I stared at the black screen.
Evelyn slowly closed the laptop.
Before either of us could speak, my phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel.
*Daniel:* We need to talk. I know you've been to the bank.
I looked at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*Daniel:* You shouldn't have opened that box.
My blood ran cold.
May you like
He knew.
And I suddenly realized that someone had been watching my movements long before I ever discovered the forged guarantee.
