Chapter 7: The Real Reason They Wanted Nia
I read the message three times.
Once we get Nia's trust transferred, nobody will ever be able to tell us what to do again.
My brother stood across the kitchen table, staring at the floor.
Vanessa had stopped crying.
She was watching me.
And suddenly, the seafood dinner, the empty plates, the secret accounts, and the mysterious flight to Ohio all seemed connected.
I slowly placed Ethan's phone on the table.
“Explain this.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Daniel, it's not what you think.””
“Then tell me what it is.””
She looked at Rebecca.
“I want her out of my house.””
Rebecca closed her folder.
“I'm not here to make you comfortable, Mrs. Carter. I'm here to protect my client's interests and ensure the children's safety.””
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“Your client? He's my husband.””
“And those are his children,” Rebecca replied.
I looked at Ethan.
“Why did you want Nia's trust?””
He rubbed his face.
“I didn't.””
“Your message says otherwise.””
“That message was written by Vanessa.””
I turned toward my wife.
She immediately protested.
“He's lying!””
Ethan pulled his phone closer and opened the conversation.
“Read the messages before that one.””
I did.
The first message was from Vanessa.
Margaret won't release Sophie's money. Your mother made sure she couldn't touch it.
Ethan replied:
Then we need another option.
Vanessa:
Nia's trust is the answer. Daniel won't question anything if we explain that it's for both girls.
Ethan:
The trustee will.
Vanessa:
Not if Daniel signs the authorization.
I looked up.
“You wanted me to sign something?””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“It was a family financial arrangement.””
Rebecca immediately leaned forward.
“What authorization?””
Vanessa didn't answer.
Ethan scrolled farther.
There was a photograph of a document.
It was a proposed transfer agreement that would have moved control of Nia's trust into a private family investment company.
The company was registered under a name I didn't recognize.
But the directors were listed clearly.
Vanessa Carter.
Ethan Carter.
I felt my stomach turn.
Rebecca examined the photograph.
“This is serious.””
“How serious?”” I asked.
“Very. Nia's trust is independently administered. Neither Vanessa nor Ethan has authority to redirect its assets. Any attempt to obtain control through misrepresentation could create significant legal exposure.””
Vanessa slammed her hand against the table.
“I am her stepmother! I have every right to make decisions for her!””
Rebecca remained composed.
“Being a stepparent does not give you ownership of a child's trust.””
I looked at my wife.
“Were you going to take my daughter's money?””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“I was going to make sure Sophie received what she deserved.””
“By taking Nia's inheritance?””
“She has enough!””
I stared at her.
There it was again.
The same sentence she'd used at the dinner table.
Nia had enough.
Nia had enough food.
Nia had enough attention.
Nia had enough money.
Apparently, my daughter was always supposed to have less so someone else could have more.
Malik walked into the kitchen.
“Dad, can I show you something?””
He held up his phone.
“What is it?””
“I found another recording.””
Vanessa immediately stood.
“Give me that phone!””
Malik stepped behind me.
“Don't touch me.””
I moved between them.
“Vanessa, sit down.””
She slowly lowered herself into the chair.
Malik played the recording.
It was a conversation between Vanessa and Ethan, apparently recorded in the kitchen several weeks earlier.
Vanessa's voice came first.
“Once Daniel signs the transfer, we can move the money.””
Ethan asked, “And the children?””
“Malik will eventually understand. Nia is too young to know what anything means.””
Ethan sounded uncertain.
“What if Daniel refuses?””
Vanessa laughed.
“Then we'll use the accident.””
There was a pause.
Then Ethan asked, “What about the medical records?””
Vanessa replied:
“We already have what we need.””
The recording ended.
I couldn't move.
My accident.
The hospital.
The four days when I couldn't speak.
I looked at Ethan.
“What medical records?””
He didn't answer.
Rebecca stood.
“Daniel, I strongly recommend that we preserve every document and recording. Nobody should delete anything.””
I turned toward Vanessa.
“What did you do?””
She looked at Ethan.
He looked at the door.
That was when I understood.
My brother wasn't simply helping my wife.
He was afraid of her.
I stepped closer.
“Ethan, look at me.””
He slowly raised his eyes.
“Did you know about the accident?””
He swallowed.
“Daniel...””
“Did you know something about the accident?””
He finally spoke.
“I knew Vanessa had spoken to someone at the hospital.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who?””
“A nurse.””
“What nurse?””
“I don't know her name.””
Vanessa jumped up.
“Stop making things up!””
Ethan turned on her.
“You told me you had handled it!””
The kitchen went silent.
Rebecca immediately wrote something in her notebook.
“Handled what?”” she asked.
Ethan closed his eyes.
“The hospital records. Vanessa wanted information about Daniel's condition before anyone else could access it.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
He looked at the floor.
“Because she wanted to know whether you would recover enough to manage your business.””
I felt sick.
My wife had been checking whether I would survive.
Not because she loved me.
Because she wanted to know whether she could take control of my company.
Nia appeared at the kitchen doorway.
“Daddy?””
I turned.
She was holding a photograph.
It showed my mother sitting beside a little girl with curly brown hair.
“Where did you find that?”” I asked.
“In Grandma's envelope.””
I took it.
On the back, my mother's handwriting was visible.
For Nia. One day, you may need to know that you were never alone.
I looked at Rebecca.
She stared at the photograph.
Then she noticed something written in tiny letters beneath the date.
Her face changed.
“Daniel,” she whispered, “your mother left something else.””
“What?””
Rebecca turned the photograph over again.
There was a small reference number.
A number matching the estate archive.
She opened her folder and searched through several pages.
Then she stopped.
“Your mother deposited a sealed statement with her estate attorney shortly before she died.””
“What does it say?””
Rebecca looked at Vanessa.
“It concerns the circumstances surrounding Nia's birth.””
My wife grabbed the edge of the table.
“Don't.””
I turned toward her.
“What are you afraid we'll find?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
May you like
And then Rebecca read the first line aloud.
I am making this statement because I believe Daniel Carter has been deceived about the identity of the person who arranged his daughter's birth records.
