Chapter 10 - The Daughter-in-Law's Secret
Chloe called me on a Thursday afternoon.
Her voice was unusually soft.
"Margaret, can we talk?"
I was sitting in my garden.
For the first time since the assault, the swelling around my cheek had begun to fade.
"What do you want, Chloe?"
"I think we've all made mistakes."
I looked at the roses Thomas had planted years earlier.
"Some mistakes are more serious than others."
She sighed.
"Julian is falling apart."
"Then he needs help."
"He needs his mother."
I closed my eyes.
"No, Chloe. He needs accountability."
Her tone changed.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
"Then explain it."
Silence.
Finally, she said, "My father is furious."
"Why?"
"Because people are asking questions about old business records."
I sat upright.
"What old records?"
She hesitated.
Then I heard a man's voice in the background.
Charles.
"Hang up," he said.
Chloe whispered, "Dad, please."
The line went dead.
I immediately called Daniel.
He instructed me not to contact them again and to preserve the call record.
That evening, Evelyn brought new information.
Chloe's consulting business was under investigation for suspected financial misconduct.
Several investors had complained about missing funds.
Julian's company had received money from Chloe's firm without a clear commercial explanation.
And Charles had been quietly trying to resolve claims involving his former property businesses.
"The pressure is coming from several directions," Evelyn said.
I looked at her.
"Do you think Chloe married Julian for access to my assets?"
"I think money was a significant part of the relationship."
That answer hurt more than I expected.
I had welcomed Chloe into our family.
Paid for the wedding.
Helped them furnish the mansion.
Bought her a diamond necklace when she turned thirty.
I remembered her embracing me and calling me the mother she had always wanted.
Now I wondered whether every affectionate gesture had been calculated.
Then Evelyn showed me a message recovered from records provided voluntarily by a former employee.
It was from Chloe to her father.
Margaret still controls everything.
Julian says she'll sign eventually.
If she refuses, we use the medical plan.
The message was dated six months earlier.
Six months.
They had been discussing my financial control for half a year.
I put down the paper.
"Daniel," I said, "I want the authorities to have everything."
He nodded.
"We'll provide the evidence through the appropriate channels."
Then his phone rang.
He answered, listened, and turned pale.
"What happened?" I asked.
He covered the receiver.
"Margaret, the police are at the mansion."
"Why?"
He swallowed.
"Julian has reported a burglary."
I frowned.
"What was stolen?"
May you like
Daniel looked directly at me.
"Thomas's archive."
