She Tried to Steal My Shares—But She Had No Idea Who She Was Messing With

Daniel stared at the message on my phone.

“Yesterday?””

“Yes.””

“That's impossible. Mom told me she was in Connecticut.””

I placed the phone on the table.

“Apparently, she was somewhere else.””

He began pacing.

“She must have gone to the storage facility to retrieve something.””

“Something called the Blue Ledger.””

“I don't know what that is.””

“Then we need to find out.””

I called Renee.

She answered immediately.

“Ms. Hayes.””

“Can you confirm what Patricia accessed?””

“The storage facility has external security cameras. I've requested preservation of the footage. We also have a record showing that a box was removed from the unit.””

“Was it the ledger?””

“We can't confirm that yet.””

“Can you locate the box?””

“I'm trying.””

Daniel interrupted.

“Renee, this is Daniel. I want to know why my mother had access to that storage account.””

There was a brief silence.

“Mr. Carter, the account was registered in your name. The access authorization includes your mother's identification.””

Daniel stared at the phone.

“I never authorized that.””

“The record says otherwise.””

“Send me the document.””

“I'll send it to both you and Ms. Hayes.””

I ended the call.

Daniel sank into a chair.

“My mother has been using my identity.””

I looked at him.

“You gave her access to the original trust agreement.””

“I know.””

“You signed the asset review.””

“I know.””

“You helped suspend the investigation into Victor Hale.””

“I know!””

His voice cracked.

I said nothing.

He covered his face with both hands.

For a moment, I felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered the marital settlement agreement.

Six weeks earlier, while I was planning our anniversary dinner, someone had been preparing documents to separate me from my inheritance.

“Daniel, I need to ask you something.””

He looked up.

“Anything.””

“Did your mother ever ask you to sign documents without explaining them?””

He hesitated.

“Yes.””

“How many?””

“I don't know.””

“Try.””

He rubbed his forehead.

“Maybe five or six over the last year.””

My stomach tightened.

“What kind of documents?””

“Board authorizations. Financial approvals. Some things related to the Westlake acquisition.””

“Did you read them?””

“Not all of them.””

I closed my eyes.

“Daniel, you are an executive at a multibillion-dollar company.””

“I trusted her.””

“Trust doesn't remove responsibility.””

He looked away.

Then he whispered, “I know.””

The following morning, Renee and I went to the storage facility.

It was located in a commercial district in Queens, inside a large brick building with security gates and fluorescent lights.

The manager, a middle-aged man named Thomas, greeted us at the reception desk.

“Ms. Hayes?””

“Yes.””

“Your attorney called ahead. We have the access records ready.””

Renee presented her credentials.

“Has anyone else requested access since yesterday?””

Thomas checked the computer.

“No. But there was an unusual event.””

“What kind?”” I asked.

“Someone attempted to remove the entire storage unit under an authorization letter.””

“Who?””

He turned the monitor.

The authorization was signed by Daniel.

I stared at it.

“That's not his signature.””

Thomas frowned.

“Are you sure?””

“Very.””

Renee leaned closer.

“Can you show us the camera footage?””

Thomas nodded.

He led us into a small security office.

The footage from the previous afternoon appeared on a monitor.

At 3:42 p.m., Patricia entered the building.

She wore a beige coat and large sunglasses.

She spoke to the receptionist, showed an identification card, and walked toward the storage corridor.

At 4:08 p.m., she returned carrying a blue metal box.

My heartbeat quickened.

“That's it,” I whispered.

Thomas paused the footage.

“Would you like a copy?””

“Yes.””

He transferred the recording to Renee's secure drive.

Then he opened another file.

“This is from the attempted removal this morning.””

A man entered the building at 8:17 a.m.

He wore a dark baseball cap and carried an envelope.

He approached the desk.

The receptionist spoke with him.

Then he presented the authorization letter.

Thomas zoomed in.

I recognized the man immediately.

Victor Hale.

The former CFO.

He had not disappeared.

He had been working with Patricia all along.

Renee leaned closer to the screen.

“Can you identify the vehicle he arrived in?””

Thomas nodded.

“Parking footage shows a black Mercedes.””

“License plate?””

He typed something.

Then he turned the monitor toward us.

The vehicle was registered to Carter Family Holdings.

I felt a cold chill.

Patricia had retrieved the ledger.

Victor had attempted to retrieve the rest of the archive.

And both had used resources connected to the Carter family.

“Can we find out where Patricia went after leaving?”” I asked.

Renee shook her head.

“Not through this facility. But we can trace the vehicle if we have the appropriate legal authority.””

I looked at the screen again.

“Then let's get it.””

At noon, Daniel called.

“Nia, I found something.””

“What?””

He sounded breathless.

“I searched my old emails. There are several messages from Mom about the Blue Ledger.””

“Send them to Renee.””

“I already did.””

“What's in them?””

A pause.

“She said Dad had made a mistake. She said the ledger contained information that could destroy the family.””

I sat down.

“Did she mention the money?””

“Yes.””

“What did she say?””

Daniel hesitated.

“She said the missing eight million dollars was never lost.””

I gripped the phone.

“Where was it?””

“She said it had been moved into an investment account.””

“Whose account?””

“Your father's.””

I froze.

“My father?””

“Yes. But she said he used the money to purchase the original shares.””

I stared at Renee.

She was already reading the emails on her laptop.

“That doesn't make sense,” I said.

Daniel continued.

“Mom claimed Thomas Hayes had taken money from Dad and used it to increase his ownership.””

“That's impossible.””

“That's what she said.””

Renee looked up.

“Wait.””

I turned toward her.

“What?””

She scrolled through the email.

“There's an attachment.””

She opened it.

It was an old financial statement.

The account number was partially obscured, but the institution was recognizable.

It belonged to a private investment bank that my father had used for decades.

Renee read the account holder's name.

“Thomas Hayes.””

My mouth went dry.

“Can you verify the transaction?””

“Not from this statement alone.””

Daniel spoke again.

“Nia, Mom said something else.””

“What?””

“She said if the ledger ever became public, the entire succession agreement would be challenged.””

I looked at the document on the screen.

“Why?””

“Because the money used to secure your father's controlling shares may not have belonged to him.””

Silence.

I felt the room closing around me.

If that was true, Patricia could argue that my father's inheritance was invalid.

She could challenge the entire ownership structure.

And she had already prepared a marital settlement agreement designed to make me surrender my rights.

“Daniel,” I said, “where is your mother now?””

“I don't know.””

“Find her.””

“I'm trying.””

“Then try harder.””

I ended the call.

Renee closed the laptop.

“There's something we need to consider.””

“What?””

“If the ledger contains evidence that your father used disputed funds, Patricia may be trying to establish that the original investment was fraudulent.””

I stared at her.

“And if she succeeds?””

“Your voting rights could be frozen until the dispute is resolved.””

I stood.

“Then we need the ledger before she destroys it.””

Renee nodded.

“Agreed.””

My phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

I answered.

A man's voice spoke.

“Mrs. Hayes?””