Chapter 7 - THE LAST NIGHT OF MY FATHER'S LIFE
“Olivia?”
She covered her face.
“I didn't kill him.”
I stood motionless.
“What?”
“I didn't kill our father. I swear.”
David moved between us.
“Let's slow down. What happened that night?”
Olivia wiped her tears.
“My father called me three days before he died. He said he wanted to see me privately.”
I sat down.
“He never told me.”
“I know.”
She continued.
“He was afraid someone was monitoring his calls. He asked me to meet him at his office after everyone left.”
“What happened?”
“I arrived at nine. He was waiting in his private conference room. He gave me the key and the envelope. Then he told me he had discovered something terrible.”
“About Richard?”
“About Richard and Victor.”
Olivia's voice trembled.
“He said they had been using company money to fund illegal transactions through shell companies. He had evidence, but he needed time to organize it.”
David leaned forward.
“Did he mention the revised beneficiary designation?”
Olivia nodded.
“He told me Richard had obtained his signature on a document without explaining its full implications.”
I looked at David.
“Then why is the signature authentic?”
“Because your father signed it under false pretenses.”
Olivia continued.
“While we were talking, someone entered the office. My father told me to hide in the storage room.”
“Who?”
“I couldn't see his face. But I heard him arguing with my father.”
“What did they say?”
Olivia closed her eyes.
“He said, ‘You should have stayed out of this.’”
My throat tightened.
“Then?”
“I heard a crash. When I came out, my father was on the floor.”
David looked horrified.
“Why didn't you tell the police?”
“I was twenty-two. I was terrified. The man told me he knew where my mother lived. He said if I spoke, she would be next.”
“And you ran?”
Olivia nodded.
“I called an ambulance from outside. By the time I returned, the police were already there.”
I stared at her.
All those years, I had believed my father died because his body could no longer fight the disease.
But there might have been more to the story.
David opened the folder.
“We need the original medical records.”
“I have them,” Olivia said.
She handed him a second envelope.
Inside were hospital discharge summaries and copies of laboratory reports.
David read them carefully.
Then he looked up.
“This doesn't prove foul play, but there are inconsistencies that need independent review.”
My phone vibrated.
Richard.
I ignored it.
He called again.
Then a message appeared.
I know Olivia is with you. Tell her to stay out of this.
I showed David.
He immediately photographed the screen.
“Good. Don't respond.”
A minute later, another message arrived.
If you want to keep the children safe, stop digging.
My blood turned cold.
I stood.
“I'm calling the police.”
David nodded.
“We'll report the threat and request protection.”
That afternoon, I filed for an emergency injunction.
Our attorneys submitted the forged documents, suspicious transfers, recorded conversations, and evidence of unauthorized insurance.
The court granted a temporary order preventing Richard from transferring or disposing of the disputed trust assets.
It was our first victory.
But it came with a price.
At 6:20 p.m., Richard appeared at the house.
Two security officers accompanied him.
“I want to see my children,” he announced.
I stepped outside and closed the door behind me.
“You can arrange a supervised visit through the attorneys.”
“I'm their father.”
“And I'm their mother.”
His eyes were bloodshot.
“You're destroying this family.”
I stared at him.
“No, Richard. You did that.”
He stepped closer.
“Do you think David is protecting you? He's hiding things, too.”
“Such as?”
“Ask him why your father made him promise never to tell you about Olivia.”
I looked toward the window.
David was standing inside.
Richard smiled.
“Your lawyer has been lying to you from the beginning.”
Then he leaned closer.
“And if you think that recording is the worst thing I've done, you're about to learn how little you know.”
He walked away.
I returned inside.
David was pale.
“Is it true?” I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
“David?”
He finally looked at me.
“There is one more document your father left me.”
“What document?”
“A letter explaining why he kept Olivia hidden.”
“Then show it to me.”
David opened his briefcase.
He removed a sealed envelope.
But before he could hand it over, his phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
Then his face went white.
“What happened?” I asked.
He lowered the phone.
“Richard has filed an emergency petition.”
“For what?”
May you like
David looked at me.
“To have you declared financially and emotionally unfit to manage the family trust.”
