Chapter 5 - My Father's Hidden LegacyMy father had been a brilliant engineer.
I knew that.
What I didn't know was how valuable his final research had become.
Before he died, he had been working on a proprietary energy-storage technology.
He had never completed it.
Or so I thought.
Victor had worked for him during the final two years.
And apparently, my father had hidden the completed research inside a private digital vault.
The password was divided into three pieces.
One piece belonged to me.
One belonged to the investment trustee.
And one was hidden inside the estate documents.
Victor had spent years trying to obtain all three.
The eight-point-four million dollars had been a secondary target.
The real prize was the research.
I stared at Daniel.
“How much is it worth?”
“If commercialized?”
“Yes.”
“Potentially billions.”
I felt dizzy.
“My father knew?”
“He suspected someone might try to steal it.”
“That's why the trust was so complicated.”
Daniel nodded.
Suddenly, my father's strange behavior before his death made sense.
The warnings.
The security system.
The insistence that I never give Derek access to certain files.
The prenup.
The separate accounts.
He hadn't been paranoid.
He had been preparing me.
Daniel opened another document.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“Your father left instructions.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
The document was dated two months before his death.
It contained one sentence:
If Rachel ever discovers that someone is trying to obtain the research, she must not trust anyone who claims to be protecting her.
I stared at the words.
“Why?”
“Because he believed the threat could come from inside your own family.”
My throat tightened.
“Derek?”
“Possibly.”
Then the door opened.
A police detective entered.
“Rachel, we need to talk.”
I stood.
“What happened?”
“We arrested Victor Kane.”
My heart jumped.
“Where?”
“At a storage facility.”
“Did he have the research?”
“No.”
“Then what did he have?”
The detective placed a sealed evidence bag on the table.
Inside was a small USB drive.
“He had this.”
I stared at it.
“What's on it?”
“We don't know yet.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Don't touch it.”
I nodded.
The detective continued.
“There's one problem.”
“What?”
“Victor refuses to speak.”
“Why?”
“He keeps asking for you.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does he want?”
“He says he will only tell you where the missing research is.”
I looked at Daniel.
Then the detective.
“Where is it?”
May you like
The detective lowered his voice.
“Victor says your husband has it.”
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