Brent read the name again.
Then a third time.
For several seconds, he couldn’t breathe.
The person his father had suspected of helping Jason Miller manipulate the Ashford family was not a stranger. It wasn’t a distant business partner, an unknown employee, or someone who had disappeared years ago.
It was someone Brent had trusted with his marriage, his children, and almost every important decision he had made during the last decade.
Daniel Foster.
His own attorney.
The man who had represented him during the divorce.
The man who had sat beside him in court and assured him that every document had been reviewed carefully.
The man who had told him Whitney was hiding financial information.
The man who had advised him to fight for primary custody.
Brent slowly lowered the letter.
“Daniel,” he whispered.
Mr. Harrison, the estate attorney, watched him carefully.
“I’m sorry, Brent.”
Brent looked up.
“Are you telling me Daniel helped Jason?”
“Your father didn’t make a direct accusation. He wrote that he had reason to believe someone close to the family was sharing confidential information with Jason. He specifically instructed me to preserve the evidence and reveal the name only if Jason attempted to interfere with the trust.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this four years ago?”
“Because your father instructed me not to disclose it unless certain conditions were met. At the time, Jason had already been warned to stay away from the estate. Your father believed the matter had ended.”
Brent stood.
“But it didn’t end, did it?”
Mr. Harrison shook his head.
“No. Apparently, it didn’t.”
Brent pulled out his phone and called Daniel.
No answer.
He called again.
Straight to voicemail.
Then he sent a message.
We need to talk. Immediately. It’s about my father, Jason, and the documents you handled during my divorce.
He stared at the screen.
Three minutes passed.
Then his phone vibrated.
Daniel had replied.
Don’t discuss this over the phone. Where are you?
Brent felt a cold sensation move through his chest.
He typed back.
At Mr. Harrison’s office.
The reply came almost instantly.
Stay there. Don’t leave with anyone. I’m coming.
Brent looked at the message.
Why would Daniel tell him not to leave with anyone?
And why did he sound frightened?
Twenty-five minutes later, Daniel arrived.
He walked into the office carrying a leather briefcase. His expression was controlled, but Brent noticed something unusual.
Daniel wasn’t looking at him.
He was looking at the envelope on the desk.
“Where did you get that?” Daniel asked.
“From my father’s estate attorney.”
Daniel swallowed.
“Brent, listen to me. Whatever you think you’ve discovered, you need to understand that your father was involved in complicated financial arrangements.”
“Don’t talk about my father.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
Brent gave a bitter laugh.
“That’s exactly what you said when you convinced me to sign the divorce papers.”
Daniel finally met his eyes.
“And I did protect you.”
“Then explain why my father’s letter names you.”
Silence.
Daniel placed his briefcase on a chair.
“Your father misunderstood certain things.”
“Did he misunderstand the company registered after his death? Did he misunderstand the financial transfers? Did he misunderstand the documents you prepared for my divorce?”
Daniel’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Brent saw it.
“You’ve been talking to Whitney,” Daniel said.
“No. I’ve been listening to my father.”
Daniel looked toward Mr. Harrison.
“May I speak with Brent privately?”
“No,” Brent answered immediately.
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Fine. Then I’ll say it here. Jason Miller is dangerous. He has been trying to obtain control of the Ashford trust for years. Your father knew that. I was attempting to prevent him from doing exactly that.”
“By helping him?”
“I never helped Jason steal anything.”
“Then why was he sending emails to Whitney about documents you were handling?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Brent stepped closer.
“Why did you tell me Whitney was financially irresponsible when you knew there were transfers connected to Jason?”
“Because I had information that suggested she was involved.”
“Did you have proof?”
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Brent felt something inside him break.
“You helped destroy my marriage.”
“I helped you navigate a difficult divorce.”
“You made me believe my wife was lying to me. You made me believe she was trying to take my money. You convinced me to fight her in court while Jason was standing behind all of it.”
Daniel raised his voice.
“You don’t understand what was happening!”
“Then explain it.”
Daniel opened his briefcase and removed a thick folder.
“Your father created a private investment structure before he died. Jason believed he was entitled to a portion of it. Whitney discovered the arrangement, and she started asking questions. Your father became worried that she might accidentally expose information that could destroy several people.”
“Several people?”
Daniel placed the folder on the desk.
“Brent, there are things about your father’s final year that you don’t know.”
Brent stared at him.
“Then tell me.”
Daniel looked down.
“Your father didn’t simply change the beneficiary of his trust because of Jason.”
Brent felt his stomach tighten.
“What are you saying?”
Daniel slowly opened the folder.
“Your father discovered that someone had been using your name to authorize financial transactions. Those transactions were connected to a company that Jason controlled.”
Brent shook his head.
“That makes no sense. I never authorized anything.”
“I know.”
“Then who did?”
Daniel looked at him.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to find out.”
Brent stared at the man who had once been his most trusted adviser.
“Were you involved?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Instead, he turned to Mr. Harrison.
“Did you give him the entire statement?”
“Yes.”
“Then you should also tell him what happened six months before Robert died.”
Mr. Harrison’s expression hardened.
“I believe you should tell him yourself.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
And for the first time since Brent had known him, the attorney looked genuinely afraid.
Meanwhile, at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Tyler sat beside his sister’s bed.
Annie was sleeping.
Her fever had finally begun to come down, and the doctors were cautiously optimistic. But Tyler hadn’t smiled once.
A nurse approached him.
“Your father will be back soon, sweetheart.”
Tyler nodded.
Then he looked at her.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“If someone tells you to keep a secret because your family will get hurt, should you keep it?”
The nurse pulled a chair closer.
“That depends on the secret. If someone is hurting you or making you feel unsafe, you should always tell a trusted adult.”
Tyler looked at his sister.
“Mom told me not to tell Dad what happened.”
The nurse’s expression softened.
“You did the right thing by calling him.”
Tyler nodded, but his eyes filled with tears.
“I thought she would come back.”
The nurse gently touched his shoulder.
“I’m sure your dad is doing everything he can to make sure you’re both safe.”
Tyler looked down at his hands.
“There’s something else.”
“What is it?”
“Mom didn’t leave because she wanted to.”
The nurse leaned forward.
“What do you mean?”
Tyler glanced toward Annie’s sleeping face.
“Before she disappeared, I heard her talking to someone on the phone. She was crying. She said, ‘I can’t give you the original. Brent will find out everything.’”
The nurse remained silent.
Tyler continued.
“Then she saw me standing in the hallway. She told me to go back to bed. But I heard the man say something.”
“What did he say?”
Tyler swallowed.
“He said, ‘If you don’t cooperate, your children will pay for it.’”
The nurse immediately stood.
“Tyler, I’m going to let your father know what you just told me.”
Tyler grabbed her hand.
“Please don’t tell Mom I told you.”
“I won’t. But we need to make sure you’re safe.”
Tyler nodded.
Then he reached beneath the blanket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
“I found this in Mom’s purse before she left.”
The nurse looked at it.
It was a photograph.
A picture of a building with a handwritten address on the back.
And beneath the address were four words:
THE ORIGINAL IS STILL HERE.
Back at Mr. Harrison’s office, Brent was learning that his father’s final months had been far more complicated than anyone had told him.
Daniel finally spoke.
“Six months before Robert died, Jason approached him with an investment proposal. He claimed he had found a way to acquire several commercial properties through a private holding company.”
“Why would my father trust him?”
“Because Jason had been introduced to him by someone Robert considered family.”
“Whitney?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No. Someone else.”
Brent’s mind raced.
“Who?”
Daniel looked at the letter.
“Your father suspected that Jason had been receiving private information from inside your household. At first, he believed it was an employee. Then he discovered that the information included details about your marriage, your finances, and your children.”
Brent felt sick.
“What kind of information?”
“Your bank accounts. Your business plans. Your schedule. Even private conversations between you and Whitney.”
Brent stared at him.
“Someone was spying on us?”
“Someone was sharing information.”
“Who?”
Daniel took a long breath.
“Your father’s statement names me because I was the attorney who had access to some of those documents. But I wasn’t the person who supplied Jason with everything.”
Brent’s eyes narrowed.
“Then who was?”
Daniel reached into his briefcase and removed another envelope.
“This was delivered to my office two days ago. I didn’t know what to do with it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was trying to verify whether it was genuine.”
Brent snatched the envelope.
Inside was a printed email.
The sender’s name was unfamiliar.
The recipient was Jason Miller.
The subject line read:
ASHFORD FAMILY — FINAL STEP.
Brent began reading.
The message contained a list of personal details, financial information, and instructions concerning the divorce.
But one sentence made his hands tremble.
Once Brent and Whitney are separated, he will be easier to control. Make sure the children remain emotionally attached to him, but make sure he believes Whitney is the problem.
Brent looked up.
“What is this?”
Daniel said nothing.
Brent continued reading.
The final paragraph was worse.
The only remaining obstacle is the original agreement. Whitney has it. If she refuses to hand it over, use the children to make her understand what is at stake.
Brent slammed the paper onto the desk.
“Who wrote this?”
Daniel pointed to the bottom.
There was a signature.
Laura Bennett.
Brent froze.
Laura.
Whitney’s closest friend.
The woman who had called him to warn him about Jason.
The woman who had told him Whitney was frightened.
The woman who had claimed to know where the hidden documents were.
Brent looked at Daniel.
“Is this real?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said you were verifying it.”
“I sent it to a document examiner.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
Brent grabbed his phone and called Laura.
She answered after two rings.
“Brent?”
“Laura, I need you to tell me the truth.”
A pause.
“What happened?”
“Did you send Jason Miller information about my family?”
Silence.
Then Laura whispered:
“Where did you get that email?”
Brent’s heart began pounding.
“That’s not an answer.”
Laura started crying.
“I didn’t know what he was planning.”
“Did you send it?”
“I was trying to help Whitney.”
“By giving Jason information about my children?”
“No! Brent, please listen to me. It wasn’t like that.”
“Then explain it.”
Laura took a shaky breath.
“Jason told me he needed to protect Whitney. He said you were hiding money and that you were planning to take the children away from her. He showed me documents. He made me believe that if I didn’t help him, Whitney would lose everything.”
“And you believed him?”
“I was afraid.”
“Who was afraid, Laura? You or Whitney?”
Laura began sobbing.
Then she said something that made Brent go completely still.
“Brent, I didn’t write that email.”
He looked at the signature.
“It’s your name.”
“I know. But someone used my identity. I found out last week.”
“Who?”
Laura lowered her voice.
“Someone who has been inside Whitney’s house.”
Brent felt his blood run cold.
“Who?”
Before Laura could answer, he heard a loud noise on her end.
A door slamming.
Then a man’s voice.
“Give me the phone.”
Laura screamed.
The call disconnected.
Brent immediately called back.
No answer.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Then a text appeared from Laura’s number.
Don’t come looking for me. I was wrong to trust him.
A second message followed.
And Brent, don’t let your children go anywhere with anyone except you.
Brent rushed out of the attorney’s office.
He called the hospital.
Tyler answered.
“Dad?”
“Son, listen carefully. Is anyone there with you?”
“Just me and Annie. The nurse is outside.”
“Good. Don’t open the door for anyone unless the hospital staff confirms who they are. Understand?”
“Dad, what’s happening?”
“I’ll explain everything soon. I promise.”
Then Tyler spoke in a small voice.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“I found something else in Mom’s purse.”
Brent stopped walking.
“What?”
“The paper has an address. I think it’s where Mom went before she disappeared.”
Brent closed his eyes.
“Can you read it to me?”
Tyler read the address.
Brent immediately recognized the location.
It was an old commercial building near the river, one that had belonged to his father’s investment company years ago.
“Tyler, don’t touch anything else. Stay with Annie. I’m coming back.”
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“There’s something written underneath the address.”
“What does it say?”
Tyler hesitated.
Then he read the words slowly.
“If you find this, don’t trust the woman who comes looking for us.”
Brent stopped breathing.
“What woman?”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“Tyler, did you recognize anyone in the picture?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Tyler’s voice became barely audible.
“It’s the woman who came to our house yesterday.”
Brent gripped the phone.
“Who was she?”
Tyler whispered a name.
And Brent felt the world tilt beneath his feet.
Because the woman Tyler had just identified was not Laura Bennett.
It was someone Brent had believed was safely out of their lives.
Someone who had attended his father’s funeral.
Someone who had helped organize Robert Ashford’s final documents.
His own sister, Caroline.
And according to Tyler, she hadn’t come alone.
She had been standing at the front door with Jason Miller.
END OF PART 4….
