Chapter 9: The Missing Page
“Put the gun down, Vanessa.””
Daniel's voice was steady, but his hands were slightly raised.
Vanessa ignored him.
“Give me the ledger, Maya.””
I looked at my father.
“Why is she holding a gun?””
Robert's face was pale.
“She doesn't want to hurt you.””
“Then tell her to lower it.””
He turned toward Vanessa.
“Put it away.””
She laughed.
“Don't start pretending you're the reasonable one, Robert. You're the reason we're in this mess.””
Daniel slowly moved toward the side of the desk.
Vanessa noticed.
“Don't move.””
He stopped.
I held the ledger against my chest.
“Why is the last page missing?””
Vanessa's expression changed.
For a second, I saw fear.
Then she recovered.
“Because your mother was paranoid. She kept changing documents and hiding things.””
“Then why are you so desperate to get it?””
“Because it doesn't belong to you.””
My father stepped forward.
“Vanessa, enough.””
She turned on him.
“You told me the ownership agreement had been destroyed.””
Robert swallowed.
“It was supposed to be.””
I looked between them.
“What agreement?””
Neither answered.
Then Vanessa pointed the gun toward my father.
“Tell her.””
Robert stared at the weapon.
“Put that down.””
“Tell her what you signed.””
His jaw tightened.
I stepped closer.
“Dad?””
He closed his eyes.
“Your mother and I signed an agreement before she died.””
“What agreement?””
“She agreed to give me temporary control of Carter Development Group.””
Daniel shook his head.
“That was never finalized.””
Robert ignored him.
“Thomas was supposed to transfer his shares to me. In exchange, I would protect Claire's estate and provide for you.””
I stared.
“You were supposed to protect me?””
“Yes.””
“Instead, you helped Vanessa throw me out.””
His voice cracked.
“I thought I could fix everything afterward.””
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You thought you could keep the company, keep the money, and leave me with the debt.””
Robert turned toward her.
“You were the one who took the loan!””
“Because you promised me the company!””
I looked at Daniel.
He quietly reached for his phone.
Vanessa noticed.
“Put that down!””
Daniel froze.
My father took another step toward her.
“Vanessa, listen to me. We can still work this out.””
She pointed the gun at his chest.
“You've been saying that for two years.””
I felt my stomach twist.
This was no longer about my inheritance.
It was about two people who had spent years betraying each other and were now terrified of being left holding the consequences.
I looked at the ledger again.
The torn page.
The missing evidence.
Then I remembered something my mother used to say whenever I lost a page from one of my school notebooks.
Look at what remains. Sometimes the missing piece leaves a mark.
I examined the torn edge.
There were faint pencil impressions on the page beneath it.
Someone had written over the previous sheet.
I tilted the ledger toward the light.
A few words became visible.
*BENEFICIAL OWNER — FINAL TRANSFER — THOMAS REED.*
I looked at Vanessa.
“You didn't remove the page because it belonged to Mom.””
She frowned.
“What?””
“You removed it because it names Thomas.””
Her face went white.
Robert turned toward her.
“What page?””
Vanessa said nothing.
I continued.
“Thomas still owns part of the company. You can't take control unless he's declared legally absent or his shares are transferred.””
Daniel's expression changed.
He understood.
“That's why the disappearance was necessary.””
Vanessa's grip tightened around the gun.
“You don't know what you're talking about.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Actually, we do.””
He looked at Robert.
“Mr. Carter, did you file a declaration claiming Thomas Reed was missing and presumed dead?””
Robert said nothing.
Daniel continued.
“Because if you did, and you used that declaration to obtain control of his shares, you may have committed a serious fraud.””
My father looked at Vanessa.
“You told me he was dead.””
She snapped.
“He was supposed to be!””
The words hung in the air.
Nobody moved.
Vanessa seemed to realize what she'd just said.
Robert stared at her.
“What did you do?””
She shook her head.
“Don't look at me like that.””
“What did you do to Thomas?””
“I did what I had to do!””
Daniel slowly moved his hand toward his phone.
Vanessa raised the gun.
Then the warehouse lights went out.
A loud metallic crash echoed through the building.
Someone shouted.
I felt a hand grab my arm.
“Run!””
It was Olivia.
She pulled me behind a filing cabinet as the emergency lights flickered on.
Two officers rushed through the entrance.
“Drop the weapon!””
Vanessa turned.
For a moment, I thought she would fire.
Then the gun fell from her hand.
She dropped to her knees.
Robert stood frozen.
An officer secured Vanessa while another escorted my father outside.
I remained behind the filing cabinet, shaking.
Daniel approached.
“Are you hurt?””
I shook my head.
“Where's the ledger?””
He picked it up.
“Still here.””
I examined the torn page again.
“Can we recover it?””
Daniel nodded.
“We'll need to investigate where it went.””
Olivia walked over with a small plastic evidence bag.
Inside was a folded sheet of paper.
“I found this beneath the desk.””
I opened it carefully.
It was the missing page.
At the top was the ownership declaration.
At the bottom was a signature.
Thomas Reed.
But there was another signature beneath it.
My mother's.
And next to her name was a handwritten sentence.
If Thomas is ever declared missing, the company shares must immediately transfer to Maya.
I stared at the document.
My mother had anticipated this too.
Daniel examined it.
“This could change everything.””
I looked toward the doorway where Vanessa had been taken.
“Why would she keep the missing page here?””
Olivia answered.
“Because she probably needed the original signature to complete the transfer.””
I turned the page over.
There was a handwritten address.
And beneath it, a name.
*ELEANOR PRICE.*
I remembered the retired accountant.
The woman who controlled Reed Holdings.
The woman whose company owned this warehouse.
“She's involved,” I whispered.
Daniel nodded.
“Very likely.””
My phone vibrated.
An incoming call.
Unknown number.
I answered cautiously.
“Maya Carter?””
“Yes.””
A woman's voice came through.
“Your mother asked me to contact you if Vanessa was ever arrested.””
“Who is this?””
“My name is Eleanor Price.””
I looked at Daniel.
He immediately gestured for me to put the call on speaker.
Eleanor continued.
“I know you've found the ownership records.””
“Then you know what happened to my inheritance.””
“I know more than that.””
“Did you help Vanessa steal my mother's company?””
She sighed.
“I helped your father establish the accounts. I never intended for things to go this far.””
I clenched my jaw.
“Where is Thomas?””
There was a long silence.
Then Eleanor spoke.
“Thomas is alive.””
My knees weakened.
“Where?””
“Somewhere your father cannot reach him.””
“Why didn't he come back?””
“Because he was afraid.””
“Afraid of whom?””
Eleanor's voice dropped.
“Not Vanessa. Not Robert.””
I glanced at Daniel.
“Then who?””
She answered quietly.
“Your mother.””
I froze.
“That makes no sense.””
“Claire knew Thomas had been hiding financial information from her for years. When she discovered what he'd done, she threatened to expose him. He believed she would destroy him before she died.””
I felt sick.
“My mother trusted him.””
“She did. But trust and honesty aren't always the same thing.””
Eleanor continued.
“There's something else you need to understand, Maya. Your mother didn't leave you the company because she wanted you to become wealthy.””
“Then why?””
“Because she wanted you to have the power to expose what happened.””
I looked down at the missing page.
“Expose what?””
Eleanor hesitated.
Then she said:
“The real owner of Carter Development Group was never your mother, your father, or Thomas.””
My heart began pounding.
“Who was it?””
Eleanor gave me a name.
A name I had never heard before.
“Your mother's first husband.””
I stared at Daniel.
He looked as shocked as I felt.
But Eleanor wasn't finished.
“And Maya, there's a reason Claire never told you about him.””
Her voice trembled.
“He died twenty years ago.””
I swallowed.
“What does that have to do with me?””
May you like
Eleanor whispered:
“Because he didn't die childless. And according to the original ownership agreement, you have a sister.””
