“Then open your records.””
“I will.””
“Now.””
He reached for the tablet.
Before he could touch it, the front doors of the boutique slammed open.
A man in a dark suit walked inside.
Two corporate attorneys followed him.
I recognized one of them immediately.
He was my father's chief legal adviser.
He looked directly at me.
“Evelyn, your father wants you upstairs.””
“Why?””
The attorney's expression was grim.
“Because we found something else.””
He held up a thick folder.
“The original ownership documents for this store were altered.””
I stared at him.
“Altered by whom?””
He looked past me.
Straight at Daniel.
Daniel's face went white.
The attorney continued.
“And the person who authorized the changes used your father's signature.””
I turned slowly toward Daniel.
He looked terrified.
But before anyone could speak, my phone buzzed.
A new message had arrived from my father.
Just four words.
*DON'T TRUST DANIEL. HE KNOWS.*
The message from my father stayed glowing on my phone screen.
*DON'T TRUST DANIEL. HE KNOWS.*
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Daniel.
The man who had apologized.
The man who had rushed across the boutique to protect me.
The man who had looked shocked when he saw the inventory records.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Daniel noticed.
“What did your father say?””
I studied his face.
That was the hardest part.
He didn’t look guilty.
He looked afraid.
And sometimes fear was more difficult to read than guilt.
The attorney stepped forward.
“Miss Evelyn, we need to move this conversation somewhere private.””
Daniel immediately spoke.
“You’re making a mistake.””
Nobody answered.
He looked at me.
“Evelyn, you know me.””
I did.
That was why this hurt.
“I thought I did.””
His expression changed.
“After everything I’ve done for this company?””
I stared at him.
“That’s exactly why I need answers.””
The attorneys escorted us upstairs to the executive office.
The boutique manager’s office had always been my father’s favorite place to work when he visited this location.
A large window overlooked the city.
A collection of old photographs decorated the shelves.
My father shaking hands with designers.
My mother standing beside him during the company’s first major fashion show.
And one photograph of Daniel.
Young.
Smiling.
Holding the first store opening certificate.
He had been with our family from the beginning.
I turned to him.
“Tell me you didn’t do this.””
Daniel looked at the photograph behind me.
Then he looked back.
“I didn’t steal anything.””
“That’s not what I asked.””
Silence.
The attorney placed a folder on the table.
“These are the ownership transfer documents.””
I opened it.
The papers showed the downtown boutique had been moved under a different holding company.
A company I didn’t recognize.
“When was this done?””
“Five months ago,” the attorney answered.
I looked at Daniel.
“You signed these.””
He shook his head.
“I signed paperwork, yes. But not this.””
“Your signature is here.””
“Because someone copied it.””
The attorney looked at him carefully.
“Do you have proof?””
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
“What aren’t you telling us?””
He sat down slowly.
“My brother.””
I frowned.
“Your brother?””
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“My brother owns a financial consulting firm. Last year, he approached me about helping with company expansion.””
“And?””
“He offered to review some of our financial systems.””
I crossed my arms.
“You gave him access.””
Daniel looked down.
“Yes.””
The room became quiet.
The attorney asked, “Who is your brother?””
Daniel swallowed.
“Michael Reed.””
I had heard that name before.
Not from business meetings.
From complaints.
A consultant who had been investigated by several companies for questionable financial practices.
My father had refused to work with him years ago.
“You knew my father didn’t trust him.””
“Yes.””
“Then why?””
Daniel looked exhausted.
“Because my wife was sick.””
That answer stopped me.
“My medical bills were overwhelming,” he continued.
“Michael said he could help me get ahead financially.””
“And what did he want?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Small favors.””
I already knew where this was going.
“Access.””
He nodded.
“At first, it was harmless. Reports. Inventory information. Nothing that seemed dangerous.””
“And then?””
“He started asking for more.””
The attorney leaned forward.
“What kind of more?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Employee passwords.””
Nobody spoke.
My hands tightened.
“You gave him access to our systems.””
“I thought I could control it.””
“You thought.””
His eyes filled with regret.
“I was wrong.””
The attorney opened another file.
“We found transactions connected to Michael Reed’s company.””
Daniel looked up.
“What?””
“He received payments from a private account linked to the fake holding company.””
Daniel went pale.
“I didn’t know.””
I looked at him.
“But you helped create the opportunity.””
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
Most people tried to protect themselves when they were cornered.
Daniel didn’t.
Maybe that was why I wasn’t sure what to believe.
My phone rang again.
My father.
I answered.
“Dad.””
His voice sounded weaker than before.
“Are you safe?””
“Yes.””
“Is Daniel there?””
I looked at him.
“Yes.””
A long pause.
“Do not let him leave.””
Daniel heard.
His face dropped.
“Your father thinks I’m involved.””
“He thinks you know something.””
“I do.””
Everyone turned toward him.
Daniel stood.
“I know who really damaged the dress.””
My heartbeat quickened.
“Who?””
He looked at the folder on the table.
Then toward the boutique below.
“Not Michael.””
The attorney frowned.
“Then who?””
Daniel’s voice lowered.
“The person who hired him.””
I stepped closer.
“Who hired your brother?””
Daniel looked at me.
And the fear in his eyes returned.
“Your uncle.””
The room went completely silent.
My uncle.
Richard Vale.
My father’s older brother.
The man who had disappeared from the company years ago after a major disagreement.
The man everyone said had walked away.
But Daniel had just said his name.
And suddenly, an old memory came back.
My father standing in the kitchen when I was sixteen.
His face angry.
His voice shaking.
“Never trust someone who smiles while they’re taking something from you.””
At the time, I thought he was talking about business.
Now I wasn’t sure.
I couldn’t move.
My uncle Richard.
The name felt impossible.
He had been gone for years.
No phone calls.
No business meetings.
No family events.
Nothing.
My father never explained what happened.
He only said Richard had made choices that damaged their relationship.
I looked at Daniel.
“How do you know?””
Daniel sat down again.
“Because Michael told me.””
The attorney immediately asked, “When?””
“Two weeks ago.””
“And you waited until now?””
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I was scared.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I was exhausted from hearing everyone say they were scared after making choices that hurt other people.
“People always become honest after they get caught.””
Daniel looked at me.
“That’s fair.””
His answer surprised me.
I expected excuses.
Instead, he accepted it.
The attorney opened his laptop.
“We need to verify this before making accusations.””
“I agree,” I said.
Then I looked at Daniel.
“But we need the truth.””
Daniel nodded.
“I’ll tell you everything.””
He explained how Michael had approached him months earlier.
At first, Michael only requested inventory reports.
Then supplier information.
Then employee schedules.