Chapter 6: The Woman Behind the Forgery
Daniel tried to leave.
I moved away from the door.
I didn't touch him.
I simply said, "Sit down.""
He glared at me.
"Move.""
"Not until you explain that document.""
"I don't owe you an explanation.""
Richard placed the photocopy inside his folder.
"Daniel, I strongly recommend you don't remove anything from this room.""
Daniel laughed.
"Are you threatening me?""
"No. I'm advising you that the document is now relevant to an active investigation.""
Denise looked between us.
"Can somebody please tell me what's happening?""
I turned toward her.
"Someone forged our father's signature.""
She shook her head.
"No. That's impossible.""
"Look at the date.""
She took the paper from Richard.
Her eyes widened.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"You told me Dad signed this before he died.""
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Denise, put the paper down.""
"You told me this was legitimate!""
"I said put it down.""
She dropped the document onto the table.
I picked it up again.
My father's signature was convincing. The letter C in Carter had the same unusual curve. The final stroke in his surname extended beneath the date.
But I remembered something.
My father had suffered a serious hand injury two years before his death.
After that injury, his signature changed.
He began signing with shorter strokes because he couldn't comfortably extend his fingers.
The signature on this document was the old one.
The one he had stopped using years earlier.
I looked at Daniel.
"Who made this?""
He shook his head.
"You're imagining things.""
"Who made it?""
"I found it in Dad's office.""
"That's not an answer.""
Richard examined the document again.
"There's something else.""
He pointed toward the bottom corner.
A small reference number had been printed beside the notary stamp.
Richard took a photograph with his phone.
"That number appears to belong to a notarial office in Chicago.""
Daniel's expression changed.
I noticed.
So did Richard.
"Do you recognize it?"" Richard asked.
Daniel shook his head.
"No.""
But his eyes had already given him away.
Richard made a call.
While he spoke quietly in the hallway, I sat down opposite my brother.
For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to say to him.
I remembered being twelve years old when Daniel taught me how to ride a bicycle.
He had run behind me for nearly an hour, holding the seat until I finally balanced on my own.
When I fell and scraped my knee, he carried me home.
Our father had laughed when he saw us.
"That's what brothers do," he'd said.
Daniel had smiled.
"I'll always look after him.""
Now I was sitting across from the same man, wondering how long he had been planning to take everything.
"Why, Daniel?""
He stared at the table.
"Why what?""
"Why wasn't the money enough?""
He gave a bitter laugh.
"You wouldn't understand.""
"Try me.""
He leaned forward.
"You had everything.""
I frowned.
"I lost my job eight months ago.""
"Exactly. You lost a job. You didn't lose your house, your investments, or your inheritance.""
He pointed toward me.
"You could afford to sit around while other people worked.""
I stared at him.
"Is that what you think I did?""
"You were always Dad's favorite.""
I shook my head.
"That's not true.""
"He gave you control. He trusted you. He even made James answer to you.""
"James earned that position.""
Daniel slapped the table.
"And what did I earn?""
I looked at him.
"An opportunity to run the business. You walked away.""
"Because I wasn't going to spend my life taking orders from Dad.""
I sighed.
"So you decided to take orders from nobody and steal instead?""
His face reddened.
"Watch your mouth.""
Richard returned.
"I've spoken with our legal team. The notary reference number appears to have been issued by an office that closed five years before the date on this document.""
I looked at Daniel.
He said nothing.
Richard continued.
"Someone has altered an older document and presented it as a new agreement.""
Denise sat down heavily.
"Oh, my God.""
I turned toward her.
"Did you know about this?""
She shook her head.
"No.""
"Did Daniel show you this document?""
"Yes. He said it proved he had a legitimate claim to the company.""
"And you believed him?""
She started crying again.
"He said you had been hiding things from me.""
I frowned.
"What things?""
"He said your father had promised him ownership. He said you knew about it and were deliberately keeping it from him.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Is that what you told her?""
Daniel didn't respond.
Denise continued.
"He told me that if I helped him get the management position, he could eventually make sure we had financial security.""
I stared at her.
"So you helped him divert company money because he promised you a bigger job?""
She lowered her head.
"I thought it was an investment.""
"An investment in what?""
"In our future.""
I laughed quietly.
"Our future?""
She looked up.
"Marcus, I know how this sounds.""
"No. I don't think you do.""
I walked toward the kitchen.
The dinner was still sitting on the counter.
The roast beef had cooled. The potatoes had begun to wrinkle. The cake I had decorated that afternoon remained untouched.
I had spent twelve hours preparing a meal for people who were supposed to matter to my wife.
And while I was doing it, she had been planning to take money from a company connected to my family.
I returned to the dining room.
"Denise, I need you to answer one question honestly.""
She nodded.
"Did you ever love me, or did you simply love the life you thought I could provide?""
Her mouth opened.
No words came out.
Finally, she whispered, "I loved you.""
I looked at her.
"Then when did I become someone you could humiliate?""
She covered her face.
Richard quietly gathered his documents.
"I think we should stop here. Our legal team will contact everyone involved.""
Daniel stood.
"I'm leaving.""
Richard looked at him.
"You're welcome to leave, but I would advise you not to destroy or alter any records connected to these transactions.""
Daniel glared at him.
"Nobody is destroying anything.""
Then he looked at me.
"You're making a mistake, Marcus.""
I didn't answer.
He walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned around.
"Ask James about the original agreement.""
I frowned.
"What agreement?""
Daniel smiled faintly.
"The one Dad made before he died. The one James helped prepare.""
Then he walked out.
The door closed.
Denise remained seated, staring at the table.
I looked at Richard.
"Do you know anything about an original agreement?""
Richard shook his head.
"Not from the documents I've seen.""
I picked up my phone and called James Whitaker.
James had worked with my father for nearly thirty years. He had managed the business through its expansion, its financial crises, and the difficult months following Dad's death.
He answered almost immediately.
"Marcus. Is everything all right?""
"James, I need to ask you something about Dad's estate.""
His tone changed.
"What happened?""
"Daniel just showed me a document claiming Dad transferred part of the company to him three months after his death.""
Silence.
Then James said, "Did you say three months after?""
"Yes.""
A long pause followed.
"Marcus, listen to me carefully.""
I gripped the phone.
"What?""
"Do not sign anything Daniel gives you. And don't let him convince you that the document is the only problem.""
My stomach tightened.
"What are you talking about?""
James lowered his voice.
"Your father left a sealed letter. He instructed me to deliver it only if Daniel ever tried to claim ownership of the company.""
I stared at the wall.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because your father made me promise to wait.""
"Where is the letter?""
"In my office safe.""
"Can you bring it tonight?""
James hesitated.
"There's something you should know first.""
I closed my eyes.
"What now?""
"The letter doesn't just explain Daniel's claim.""
His voice became almost a whisper.
"It explains why your father never wanted him near the company's financial records again.""
I looked toward Denise.
She was watching me now.
James continued.
"And Marcus, there's another name mentioned in that letter.""
"Whose?""
He took a breath.
"Your wife's.""
My blood ran cold.
Across the dining room, Denise slowly stood.
And when she saw my expression, she whispered something that made the entire room feel suddenly smaller.
"Marcus... what did James tell you?""
I lowered the phone.
May you like
Because I was beginning to understand that the woman who had humiliated me at dinner might have been hiding something long before she ever met my brother.
And my father's final letter might explain exactly why.
