Chapter 16 - Victor’s Offer
The meeting occurred in a secured attorney conference room.
Victor remained in custody pending a bond review.
Two lawyers sat beside him.
Naomi sat beside Daniel.
A recording device on the table documented everything with consent.
Victor looked thinner.
Not remorseful.
Just deprived of sleep.
Daniel sat across from him.
For several seconds they said nothing.
Victor smiled faintly.
“You look like Dad.”
Daniel felt no nostalgia.
“What did he leave?”
Victor leaned back.
“Straight to business.”
“What did he leave?”
“A letter.”
“Where?”
“I’ll tell you after we discuss the ledger.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“You’re in no position to bargain.”
“Everyone has something to bargain with.”
“You locked my daughter in a cage.”
Victor’s face tightened.
“I panicked.”
“You bought the padlock three days earlier.”
Victor glanced at his lawyer.
The lawyer said nothing.
Daniel continued.
“That wasn’t panic.”
“I intended to secure the crate while I moved documents.”
“With Lily inside?”
“No.”
“But you did.”
Victor’s composure cracked.
“She saw the bags.”
“So you imprisoned a three-year-old.”
“For ten minutes.”
Daniel stood.
Naomi touched his arm.
Victor said, “Sit down.”
Daniel looked at him.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”
Victor’s eyes hardened.
“There’s your problem.”
“My problem?”
“You think this began with me.”
“No.”
Daniel sat again.
“It began with Dad and Mom.”
Victor blinked.
Daniel continued.
“The difference is they eventually understood they were wrong.”
“Dad understood when it was convenient.”
“Maybe.”
Victor seemed surprised Daniel conceded it.
Daniel leaned forward.
“But you knew it was wrong and turned it into a business model.”
Victor laughed.
“You benefited.”
“I did.”
“Your precious architecture studio survived because I moved money.”
“Without my knowledge.”
“You never asked where it came from.”
That landed.
Daniel hated him for being partly right.
Victor saw it.
“Dad raised us not to ask questions when the answer was useful.”
Daniel remained silent.
Victor lowered his voice.
“The letter is in a safe-deposit box.”
“Which bank?”
“I want the blue ledger.”
“Police have it.”
“I want the original trust documents.”
“They’re evidence.”
“I want Daniel Hale to stop pretending he’s clean.”
Naomi interrupted.
“This meeting is over.”
Victor spoke quickly.
“Rebecca gave me the house code.”
Daniel stopped.
“I know.”
Victor’s satisfaction disappeared.
“She tell you why?”
“For a burst pipe.”
Victor smiled again.
“Ask her about the second time.”
Daniel stared.
“What second time?”
Victor’s lawyer whispered something.
Victor ignored him.
“Six months ago.”
Daniel felt cold.
“She gave me the code again.”
“For what?”
Victor said nothing.
Naomi stood.
“Daniel.”
Victor spoke as Daniel rose.
“She came to my office because she wanted the forged documents destroyed.”
Daniel turned.
“Liar.”
Victor shrugged.
“Ask her.”
Back home, Daniel did.
Rebecca did not deny meeting Victor.
But she denied asking him to destroy anything.
“I asked him to correct the forged records before I went to Samuel’s old auditor.”
“Why give him the house code?”
“He said he needed to return files Samuel had stored here.”
“You believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Again.
Wanting to believe.
The disease that infected the entire family.
Rebecca began crying.
“I thought if Victor returned the original documents, we could untangle this without destroying everyone.”
“That’s what Mom thought.”
“I know.”
“That’s what Dad thought for years.”
“I know.”
“That’s what Victor still thinks.”
Rebecca nodded.
Daniel looked at her.
For the first time, she did not ask forgiveness.
May you like
She simply said, “I was wrong.”
And somehow, because there was no excuse attached, Daniel believed her.
