Chapter 10: The Sister My Mother Buried in Silence
I asked Eleanor to repeat herself.
She did.
“Your mother had another daughter, Maya. An older daughter. Her name is Rebecca.””
I gripped the edge of the desk.
“That isn't possible.””
“I wish it weren't true.””
“My mother never had another child.””
Eleanor sighed.
“Your mother gave birth to Rebecca when she was twenty-one. Her first husband was Jonathan Reed, Thomas's older brother.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was already writing down the names.
“Jonathan Reed?”” I repeated.
“Yes. He was the original founder of Carter Development Group. Your mother inherited his shares after his death.””
I shook my head.
“Why would she hide another daughter?””
“Because Rebecca disappeared.””
“Disappeared how?””
“After Jonathan died, there was a custody dispute. Rebecca was only three. Your mother was struggling financially, and Jonathan's family had considerable influence. They claimed Claire was unfit to raise her.””
My throat tightened.
“So they took her?””
“Legally, they obtained custody. Claire was allowed supervised visits for a while. Then the family moved overseas, and contact stopped.””
“Did Mom try to find her?””
“Every year.””
I looked down at the photograph in my hand.
My mother holding a little girl with dark curls.
I had never seen it before.
On the back was a handwritten message.
My first little girl. I hope one day I can tell you everything.
I felt tears burning behind my eyes.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Eleanor's voice softened.
“Because Claire believed Rebecca was safer without knowing about the company. Jonathan's family had made threats. They believed Rebecca was the rightful heir to everything.””
“Was she?””
“Yes.””
I turned toward Daniel.
“Then what does that mean for my inheritance?””
He took the phone from me and spoke carefully.
“Eleanor, we need the original ownership agreement.””
“I have it.””
“Where?””
“Safe deposit box 602 at First National Bank.””
I remembered Box 417.
Another box.
Another secret.
“Why didn't you give it to my mother?””
“I tried. Claire refused to take it until she could guarantee Rebecca's safety.””
I swallowed.
“Is Rebecca alive?””
“Yes.””
“Where is she?””
Eleanor hesitated.
“She's closer than you think.””
Before I could ask another question, the call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Daniel paced across the warehouse.
“This is becoming much more complicated.””
“How?””
“If Jonathan Reed was the original owner, then the ownership history of Carter Development Group may be legally defective. We need to examine every transfer since his death.””
“Can Vanessa still take the company?””
“Not if the original agreement establishes that the shares belong to the heirs.””
“And Rebecca is one of those heirs.””
“Yes.””
I thought about the photographs.
The woman holding my mother's hand.
The little girl sitting on her lap.
My mother had spent years protecting a daughter I didn't know existed.
I wondered how many nights she had looked at those photographs and wished things were different.
“Can we meet her?”” I asked.
Daniel nodded.
“First, we need to locate her.””
That afternoon, Eleanor agreed to meet us at a private conference room.
She arrived carrying a brown leather briefcase.
She was in her seventies, with neatly styled white hair and a silver brooch pinned to her jacket.
When she saw me, her eyes filled with tears.
“You look exactly like Claire.””
I didn't answer.
She placed the briefcase on the table.
Inside were old photographs, company records, and several letters.
One photograph showed my mother standing beside a young man in a dark suit.
“Jonathan Reed,” Eleanor explained.
“He was the love of her life.””
I studied his face.
He had the same sharp jawline as Thomas.
“Was Thomas his brother?””
“Yes. Thomas was younger. He worked for Jonathan before your mother married Robert.””
I opened a letter.
It was dated twenty-three years earlier.
Claire,
If anything happens to me, make sure Rebecca receives what belongs to her. The company is not a gift. It is her birthright.
The letter was signed Jonathan.
I looked up.
“Was he murdered?””
Eleanor lowered her eyes.
“His death was ruled an accident.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
She folded her hands.
“Jonathan was killed in a car crash. The brakes failed.””
The room went quiet.
Daniel leaned forward.
“Was there an investigation?””
“Yes. But the investigation was closed.””
“Who maintained the vehicle?””
Eleanor looked directly at me.
“Robert Carter.””
My stomach turned.
“Dad?””
“Robert worked for Jonathan at the time. He was responsible for managing the company's vehicles and facilities.””
I stood.
“No. That's impossible.””
Eleanor didn't argue.
She opened another folder.
Inside was a photograph of a young Robert standing beside Jonathan's damaged car.
On the back, someone had written:
Robert says the brakes failed before he arrived.
I stared at the picture.
“Why didn't anyone investigate him?””
“Because Jonathan's family trusted him.””
I felt sick.
My father hadn't simply entered my mother's life after Jonathan died.
He had been connected to the company before my mother even married him.
“Did my mother know?””
“Yes,” Eleanor replied.
“She discovered discrepancies in the maintenance records years later. That's why she began investigating Robert.””
I sat down slowly.
Everything was connected.
The missing money.
The second will.
The fraudulent signatures.
Thomas's disappearance.
And now Jonathan's death.
“Where is Rebecca?”” I asked again.
Eleanor pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
“She lives in Boston. She's a corporate attorney.””
I looked at the name.
Rebecca Reed.
“Does she know about me?””
“She knows Claire had another daughter. She doesn't know your name.””
“Why not?””
“Because she was told her mother abandoned her.””
I closed my eyes.
My mother had been carrying that pain for decades.
And now I was about to meet the person who might have inherited everything I thought belonged to me.
Two days later, Rebecca arrived at the hotel where Daniel had arranged our meeting.
She was thirty-one.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
With the same green eyes my mother had passed down to me.
When she entered the room, she stopped.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at Eleanor.
“You said this was about my mother.””
“It is,” Eleanor replied.
Rebecca turned toward me.
“Who are you?””
I stood.
“My name is Maya.””
Her face changed.
“Carter?””
I nodded.
“Claire was my mother too.””
Rebecca looked as though someone had struck her.
“No.””
She stepped backward.
“She abandoned me.””
I swallowed.
“She never stopped looking for you.””
Rebecca laughed bitterly.
“That's what everyone says when they want to make a dead woman look innocent.””
I opened my bag and removed the photograph.
My mother holding Rebecca as a toddler.
Rebecca stared at it.
Her hands began trembling.
“Where did you get that?””
“She kept it in a safe deposit box.””
Rebecca took the photograph.
Then she turned it over.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My first little girl. I hope one day I can tell you everything.
Rebecca's eyes filled.
“She remembered me?””
“Every day.””
Rebecca sat down and covered her face.
I wanted to comfort her.
But I didn't know how to approach a sister who had lost the same mother in a completely different way.
After several minutes, she looked up.
“Why are you here?””
I explained the inheritance, the trust, and the documents Eleanor had discovered.
Rebecca listened carefully.
When I finished, she opened her briefcase.
“I've been investigating the Reed family estate for six months.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Why?””
“Because someone has been attempting to transfer my grandfather's original company shares into a private holding structure.””
She placed a document on the table.
The company name was familiar.
Carter Development Group.
I stared at her.
“Do you know who's behind it?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Vanessa Carter.””
“But Vanessa is in custody.””
Rebecca shook her head.
“Not anymore.””
She showed us a news alert.
Vanessa had been released pending further investigation.
And the article included a photograph of her leaving the courthouse.
Standing beside her was a man I recognized.
My father.
But the headline beneath the photograph made my blood run cold.
*CARTER ESTATE DISPUTE: NEW BENEFICIARY EMERGES IN $80 MILLION INHERITANCE CASE.*
The article identified Rebecca as the newly discovered heir.
Then I noticed the final paragraph.
A court filing had been submitted that morning.
It claimed my mother had been mentally incompetent when she signed the original ownership agreement.
Rebecca read it twice.
Then she looked at me.
“They're trying to invalidate everything.””
“Can they?””
She closed her briefcase.
“Not if we find the original recording.””
I remembered the videotape from the warehouse.
The one labeled PLAY ONLY AFTER THOMAS RETURNS.
Rebecca looked at Daniel.
“Where is Thomas?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then my phone rang.
A hospital number appeared on the screen.
A nurse spoke urgently.
“Is this Maya Carter? We have a patient here asking for you.””
“Who?””
“Mr. Thomas Reed.””
My heart stopped.
The nurse continued.
“He was brought in unconscious after a vehicle accident. Before surgery, he left one instruction.””
“What?””
“He asked us to tell you that your mother wasn't killed by your father.””
I exhaled shakily.
May you like
Then the nurse added:
“She was killed by someone who wanted to protect him.””
