Chapter 5 - Robert Reed’s Final Letter
Daniel returned to his mother’s house the next morning.
The dining room had been cleared. Pale circles marked the table where plates had rested. The candles had burned down, leaving hardened wax beside the empty turkey platter.
Patricia waited in Robert’s study.
She looked smaller than Daniel remembered, wrapped in a gray cardigan with both hands around a cup of untouched tea.
On the desk lay a sealed envelope.
Daniel recognized his father’s handwriting immediately.
For Daniel and Megan.
“Where was it?” he asked.
“In the locked drawer beneath his old business records.”
“And Megan found it?”
“Three months ago.”
“How do you know?”
“I walked in while she was reading it.”
Daniel picked up the envelope.
It had been opened and resealed with clear tape.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Patricia stared at the floor.
“She begged me not to.”
“So you chose her.”
“She said the letter proved your father never trusted her.”
Daniel removed the pages.
Robert’s handwriting was uneven, written during the final weeks of his illness.
Daniel,
If you are reading this, I did not have time to fix the mistakes I made while trying to protect the company.
Megan will believe I gave you control because I loved you more. That is not true.
I gave you control because you were the only one who understood how serious our financial situation had become. Megan has a good heart, but she trusts Chris more than she trusts her own judgment. I fear he sees the company as something to take rather than something to build.
Half of my remaining personal shares belong to Megan. They are being held separately until the company debt is resolved. Do not use them unless necessary to protect the employees.
Tell her the truth when you believe she is ready to hear it.
And Megan, if you are reading this with your brother, please understand: Daniel did not steal your future. He used his own inheritance first. He has protected your shares even while the company struggled.
Do not let resentment turn you against the person who has sacrificed the most to preserve what I built for both of you.
Daniel lowered the letter.
“How much did Megan read?”
“All of it.”
“And she still claimed I stole her inheritance?”
Patricia nodded slowly.
“She said the letter was another way of making you look like the hero.”
Daniel felt something inside him collapse.
For years, he had excused Megan’s anger because he believed it came from ignorance.
She had known the truth for months.
“What did Chris say about the letter?”
“He said Robert was manipulating her from the grave.”
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to keep the family together.”
“No. You wanted to avoid choosing what was right.”
Patricia began to cry.
Daniel placed the letter on the desk.
“Did you know they were taking money?”
“No.”
“Did you know about the bottle?”
“No.”
“Did Megan tell you anything before dinner?”
Patricia hesitated.
Daniel saw the answer before she spoke.
“She asked where I kept your father’s old medication.”
The room became still.
“What did you tell her?”
“I showed her the cabinet.”
“Why?”
“She said she had a headache and wanted to check whether there was anything useful.”
Daniel stared at his mother in disbelief.
“You gave her access to medication that belonged to a man who died two years ago?”
“I didn’t think—”
“That is the problem. You refused to think because thinking would have forced you to see what was happening.”
Patricia covered her face.
Daniel took the letter.
“I’m giving this to Detective Ruiz.”
As he reached the door, Patricia spoke.
“What will happen to Megan?”
“That depends on what she did.”
May you like
“She’s your sister.”
“And Ethan is my son.”
