CHAPTER 2 — THE FOLDER
Raina sat in the back of her father's SUV.
A blanket covered her legs.
Her hands were still shaking.
She could see the mansion disappearing through the rear window.
The place where she had lived for five years.
The place where she had planned to raise her child.
The place where Damon had once promised they would grow old together.
Now she couldn't even look at it.
Orson sat beside her.
He hadn't spoken since they left.
Finally, Raina whispered,
“Dad.”
“Yes?”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Orson looked at her.
“Tell you what?”
“That Damon was stealing from me.”
Orson sighed.
“I didn't know.”
Raina stared at him.
“You didn't?”
“No.”
“Then what did you mean when you said he stole from the wrong family?”
Orson's expression changed.
“I didn't mean your family.”
Raina frowned.
“Then who?”
Orson looked out the window.
“Mine.”
Raina said nothing.
A few seconds passed.
Then Orson opened the black folder.
Inside were documents.
Bank records.
Corporate registrations.
Property transfers.
Trust agreements.
Raina stared at them.
“What is all this?”
“Evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“That Damon has been moving money between companies.”
“His companies?”
“No.”
Orson pointed to a document.
“Look at the registered owner.”
Raina read it.
Her eyebrows drew together.
“Raina Morrison?”
“Yes.”
“But I don't own this company.”
“You do.”
“No, I don't.”
“You've owned it since before you met Damon.”
Raina shook her head.
“That can't be true.”
Orson handed her another document.
“This one?”
She read it.
Another company.
Her name.
Another.
Her name again.
Another.
Her name.
Raina's breathing became uneven.
“Dad…”
“I created the structure for you when you were twenty-four.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew you would eventually inherit part of the family holdings.”
Raina stared at him.
“You never told me.”
“I wanted you to build your own life.”
“But Damon knew?”
“I don't know.”
Raina's eyes moved over the documents.
Then she stopped.
A line of text caught her attention.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“This transfer.”
She pointed.
“Who authorized it?”
Orson leaned closer.
Raina read the signature.
Her stomach dropped.
It looked like hers.
But something was wrong.
“The signature is mine.”
“Yes.”
“But I didn't sign this.”
Orson nodded.
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because your original signature has a specific pressure pattern.”
Raina stared at him.
“What?”
“Your mother taught me to look at signatures carefully.”
Orson tapped the document.
“This was copied.”
Raina looked up.
“By Damon?”
“Possibly.”
“Then we can arrest him.”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don't want him arrested.”
Raina stared.
“You don't?”
“I want him exposed.”
Orson closed the folder.
“Arresting him today would end the story.”
“What story?”
“The one we haven't uncovered yet.”
Raina looked frightened.
“What haven't we uncovered?”
Orson hesitated.
Then he said quietly,
“Your baby.”
Raina's hand moved instinctively to her stomach.
“What about my baby?”
“I don't know.”
“Dad.”
“I found something unusual.”
“What?”
“Damon has been making payments.”
“To whom?”
“I don't know yet.”
“How much?”
Orson looked at her.
“Over six million dollars.”
Raina's face drained of color.
“For what?”
“We don't know.”
“Medical bills?”
“No.”
“Business?”
“No.”
“Lacey?”
“Not directly.”
Raina stared at him.
“Then who?”
Orson closed the folder.
“That is what we're going to find out.”
The SUV entered Orson's private estate.
The gates opened automatically.
Security personnel were stationed along the driveway.
Raina had grown up here.
But tonight, for the first time, it felt like a fortress.
As they entered the house, a woman hurried toward them.
“Raina!”
It was her father's longtime housekeeper, Miriam.
Raina burst into tears.
Miriam wrapped her arms around her.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
Raina held on tightly.
“I thought I had nowhere to go.”
Miriam pulled back.
“You will always have somewhere to go.”
Raina wiped her face.
“I lost everything.”
Miriam shook her head.
“No.”
Raina looked at her.
“You lost a husband.”
Miriam glanced toward Orson.
“But you didn't lose your family.”
Orson watched silently.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
“Yes?”
A pause.
His expression changed.
“What?”
Raina looked at him.
“What happened?”
Orson ended the call.
“Come with me.”
They entered his study.
A large monitor displayed security footage.
Damon's mansion.
The backyard.
The kennel.
The patio.
Raina watched herself being locked inside.
Her face tightened.
Then another video appeared.
A hallway.
Damon and Lacey.
Lacey was holding a folder.
Raina leaned forward.
“Stop.”
The video froze.
“Zoom in.”
The security technician enlarged the image.
Raina stared.
The folder had a logo.
A company logo.
Her father's company.
Raina's voice dropped.
“Why does Lacey have that?”
Orson's eyes hardened.
“That is the right question.”
They watched again.
Lacey handed Damon the folder.
Damon opened it.
His expression changed.
Then he hugged her.
Raina stared at the screen.
“What was inside?”
“We don't know.”
Orson rewound the footage.
“There's another camera.”
They switched angles.
This time, the folder was open.
A page was visible for less than two seconds.
The technician paused it.
Raina's eyes widened.
“That's my name.”
Orson stepped closer.
“Yes.”
“But what does it say?”
The technician enhanced the image.
The words became clearer.
BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION — UNBORN CHILD OF RAINA MORRISON.
Silence filled the room.
Raina's hand went immediately to her stomach.
Orson's expression became murderous.
“What the hell,” Raina whispered, “does Damon want with my baby?”
No one answered.
Then the technician spoke.
“There is something else.”
He opened another file.
“This footage was recorded three days ago.”
A woman appeared on screen.
Raina didn't recognize her.
She was standing in a hospital corridor.
Talking to Damon.
The technician increased the audio.
The woman's voice came through.
“After the birth, the child cannot remain with her.”
Damon answered.
“I know.”
Raina's blood turned cold.
The woman continued.
“Then the transfer must happen immediately.”
Damon nodded.
“And Raina?”
“She won't have a choice.”
The footage ended.
Raina stared at the blank screen.
Her voice was barely audible.
“They were planning to take my baby.”
Orson stood behind her.
“Yes.”
Raina turned.
“Dad…”
“I know.”
“Who was that woman?”
Orson looked at the frozen image.
“I don't know.”
Then he reached for his phone.
“Find her.”
The security chief nodded.
Orson added,
“And find every payment Damon made in the last two years.”
Raina wiped her tears.
“Dad.”
He turned.
“I don't want to hide anymore.”
Orson stared at her.
“What do you want?”
“I want Damon to know exactly what he did.”
Orson smiled.
“Then tomorrow…”
May you like
He closed the folder.
“…we stop defending ourselves.”
