Chapter 16 - THE LAST TRANSFER|
The transfer was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Monday.
Nathan's team learned about it through records obtained from the financial institutions involved in the investigation. The transaction was not yet complete, and the team could not simply seize the funds by making a phone call.
They needed to act through the appropriate legal and banking procedures.
Nathan contacted the relevant compliance officers and provided the supporting documentation. He also advised Victoria to avoid contacting Richard directly.
“If he realizes the transfer is under scrutiny, he may try to move the money elsewhere,” Nathan said.
“Can it be stopped?”
“Possibly. That depends on the bank's review, the account restrictions, and any lawful orders that may apply.”
Victoria spent the weekend reviewing every document she had inherited from her grandmother.
She found no evidence that Eleanor had knowingly participated in any criminal activity. What she found instead was a pattern of unanswered questions, incomplete filings, and attempts to preserve a business interest that had gradually slipped beyond the family's control.
Her grandmother had not been hiding a fortune.
She had been trying to protect an ownership claim.
On Sunday evening, Alexander arrived at Nathan's office with a sealed envelope.
“I found the original authorization.”
Nathan did not accept it immediately.
“Where did you obtain it?”
“From a locked cabinet in my father's office. It was behind a false panel.”
He placed the envelope on the table.
Inside was a document authorizing Richard to manage certain accounts under specific conditions. It did not authorize him to use Victoria's identity or transfer assets outside the agreed business structure.
But the document contained an additional page that had not appeared in the earlier copy.
It listed the names of several companies and the conditions under which their assets could be transferred.
Nathan read it carefully.
“This could help establish the limits of Richard's authority.”
Alexander looked at Victoria.
“I should have checked every document. I should have asked questions. I let him handle things because it was easier.”
Victoria did not comfort him.
“Then you need to tell the truth about what you signed.”
“I will.”
“Even if it hurts your business?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it means admitting that you were careless?”
He swallowed.
“Yes.”
It was the first time he had answered without trying to defend himself.
Nathan arranged for the document to be examined and preserved. He also made clear that Alexander needed independent legal advice before making formal statements about his own potential liability.
On Monday morning, the bank placed the disputed transfer under review pending additional documentation. The money did not disappear into the receiving account as Richard had planned.
That alone did not prove wrongdoing, but it prevented the immediate transaction from proceeding as expected.
Richard learned about the delay before noon.
He called Alexander.
“What have you done?”
Alexander remained calm.
“I haven't done anything.”
“The bank is asking questions about Northbridge.”
“Then provide the records.”
“You know the records are incomplete.”
“Because you made them incomplete.”
Richard's voice turned cold.
“You have no idea what you're accusing me of.”
“Then explain the transfers.”
“You're making a terrible mistake.”
Alexander looked through the glass wall of Nathan's conference room.
Victoria was seated at the table, reading the original agreement with her lawyer.
For years, he would have demanded that she stop.
Now he knew he had no right to make that demand.
“Richard,” he said, “the investigation is going forward. If you have an explanation, provide it through your attorney.”
Richard hung up.
An hour later, the corporate registry notified the relevant parties that someone had filed an urgent request to change the authorized representative of Northbridge Holdings.
The request was submitted under Victoria's name.
But Victoria had never authorized it.
Nathan immediately preserved the filing and notified the appropriate institutions.
The signature looked almost perfect.
Almost.
This time, the document contained a mistake that exposed the person who had prepared it.
The signature included a distinctive mark that appeared on every forged document linked to Richard's office.
And the metadata showed that the file had been created that morning.
May you like
Richard had tried to use Victoria's name one last time.
He had also left behind the clearest evidence yet that someone was deliberately impersonating her.
