Chapter 16 - The Woman With the Keys

Melissa Crane arrived at the police station with a lawyer.

She denied everything.

She stopped denying.

"I never agreed to hurt a child."

Daniel's voice was flat.

"You agreed to steal."

"I agreed to help Vanessa exit a bad marriage."

"By forging documents?"

Melissa looked down.

"She told me you controlled everything."

"You had my financial records."

"Only property records."

"You gave Kyle building plans."

Her silence answered.

Another.

Another.

"What's in the reserve?" Morales asked.

Melissa rubbed her forehead.

"A transfer fund."

"For?"

"Buying distressed Reed properties after Thomas triggered defaults."

Daniel stared at her.

"Why?" he asked.

Melissa finally looked at him.

"Because your company was overleveraged."

"It wasn't."

"It would have been after the forged sale collapsed."

Daniel understood.

The fake property transaction.

The missing documents.

The fire.

Every part connected.

She ignored him.

"Vanessa said she needed six months. She said once she had temporary control of Lily's shares, the board would panic."

"And you believed her?"

"I believed the numbers."

Daniel almost smiled.

"Then you never understood my family."

Melissa gave him a tired look.

"Neither did you."

The sentence landed.

Because she was right.

"I missed things."

"What things?"

"Times you were scared."

She added another block.

"I didn't tell you."

"I wish I had noticed anyway."

Lily looked at him.

"Vanessa said you were busy."

"I was."

"She said work was more important."

Daniel swallowed.

"It isn't."

"Then why did you work so much?"

Because bills.

Because ambition.

He answered simply.

"I made a mistake about what mattered most."

Lily considered that.

"You can build now."

Daniel sat on the floor.

"Yeah."

"I think this goes here."

Then Aaron called.

"We got Vanessa's financials."

Daniel's stomach tightened.

"What now?"

"She opened a life insurance policy on you eight months ago."

Daniel went still.

"How much?"

"Five million dollars."

"Beneficiary?"

Aaron paused.

"Vanessa."

Daniel stared at Lily.

Then Aaron continued.

"And there was a second policy application."

"On who?"

May you like

Billionaire’s Wife Kicked a Waitress in Front of 300 Elites—One Slap Exp...

The billionaire’s wife tried to kick a waitress in the face in front of 300 wealthy guests. But seconds later, she whispered three...

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

Aaron's voice lowered.

"Lily."