“Those statements were incomplete, and some were false.”
Margaret’s composure finally broke.
“After everything I sacrificed for you, this is how you repay me?”
Victoria looked at her with sadness.
“You raised me. I will never deny that. But raising a child does not give someone the right to control the truth about her identity.”
She placed a copy of the trust agreement on the table.
“I am requesting an independent audit of the Carter trust and every related transfer through Northbridge Capital.”
The press conference descended into chaos.
Margaret’s lawyers attempted to end the event, but Victoria continued answering questions until security escorted the participants from the stage.
That afternoon, the company’s board announced that it would cooperate with an external investigation.
Richard Whitmore issued a public statement acknowledging that the company had failed to investigate Daniel Carter’s allegations properly.
He apologized to the Carter family and promised that the company would provide all relevant records.
It was the first time he had publicly accepted responsibility.
The statement did not resolve every question, but it changed the direction of the story.
Investigators began examining the original ledger, the trust documents, and the records recovered from Eleanor’s cottage.
Several financial transactions were independently confirmed.
The evidence suggested that money had been diverted through shell companies and that documents had been altered to make Daniel appear responsible.
But the investigation also uncovered a new problem.
The offshore account that had received the final $12 million transfer was connected to a trust established by Margaret Hale.
The account had been closed, but a substantial portion of the funds appeared to have been transferred into property investments.
Those investments were still active.
Rebecca identified three luxury properties purchased through intermediary companies.
One was a mansion in Beverly Hills.
