Chapter Seventy One

"It has been changed by someone."

The archive room became silent as soon as Thomas said that.

Damian extended his phone. "Is this the statement you recall? Pay close attention."

Thomas' face grew increasingly darker as he looked at the photograph.

"Thomas said Victor Knight was named in the original declaration." "It did not say that Victor used him to cover up the transactions, which Emily's father had planned as illegal transfers. Emily's father was confident that Victor had used him in that capacity."

Damian tightened his grip on the phone.

"Then why would Victor distribute this version?" Damian asked.

"To undermine your reputation before you can reveal him," Sophia answered. "If the board thinks your father was to blame, Damian, they might think you're trying to assign blame."

Ryan tilted over the table. "Victor is trying to complete something that he started years ago. He ruined Damian's father, and now he wants to ruin Damian."

Thomas nodded slowly. "But I should have notified you of anything sooner."

Emily turned to face him. "What is that exactly?"

"When I learned that someone had broken into the study the night your parents passed away, I went back to the house. I saw a black vehicle leaving the premises. Although I recognized the car, I couldn't identify the driver."

"Who was the owner of the car?" Damian asked.

Thomas said that Victor Knight's firm had rented it. "I informed Ryan's father of what I had seen, but he told me to keep it a secret. He warned that if the police found out about it without evidence, it would destroy the Carter family."

Ryan's skin tone became pale. "Did my dad realize Victor's car was there?"

"He was aware of what I had reported," Thomas replied. "I cannot say whether he was aware that Victor was to blame for Emily's parents' murders. But rather than ensure a police investigation, he decided to save the family's reputation."

Ryan looked down. He had long believed his father's actions were motivated by a desire to protect the Carter family. He was just starting to understand the expense of that security.

Emily found it hard to breathe at that moment.

She asked, "Why didn't you alert the police about the car?"

"Because I was frightened," Thomas admitted. "I'd been cautioned earlier not to go near the house. I was informed that my sister would be harmed if I spoke after your parents died. I told myself that the only way to keep her safe was to remain silent."

Emily's rage was in fact sadness, although it was increasing. Everyone who had any knowledge had chosen silence for their own reasons, and she had suffered the repercussions for years.

"You should have had the guts to stand up for the truth," she said.

Thomas' head fell. "Right you are."

Damian's attention focused on Sophia. "Is it possible for us to stop Victor from portraying that statement as real using this?"

"We can dispute its validity and request to view the original," Sophia stated. "But Thomas' testimony alone won't prove who murdered Emily's parents. The original statement and the remaining financial records are necessary to show the broader fraud."

Ryan took out his phone. "My mother provided me with copies of the transfers she had kept. Some of them suggest payments passing via companies associated with Victor. I'll send everything to your legal team."

Emily looked at him carefully. "Why are you doing this now?"she asked.

"Because my mother helped move money and my father helped silence a witness," Ryan explained. I can't undo what they did. But I can stop defending their mistakes.

Emily didn't perceive any attempt to use his confession to get her back this once.

Damian's phone rang again. His security director was the one calling.

"The board meeting has been moved up, Damian," the security chief said. "Within an hour, Victor requests to see you there in one hour. He is determined to show that your father committed the fraud, in fact he is currently presenting the statement as evidence."

As he hung up the phone, Damian went over to Emily.

"I have to go. The meeting is happening now. I want you next to me," he said.

"Do you want me to come with you because you trust me, or do you need someone to stand by you as you fight your uncle?"

That question him harder than she had expected.

"Well, both." Damian admitted. "And I'm aware that I haven't given you a compelling enough reason to approve the first part."

Her face softened, but Emily wasn't going to let it go just like that.

"After this, don't force me to prove myself any more," she said.

Damian responded, "I won't."

Despite his lingering jealousy, Ryan remained silent and observed their conversation. Finally, he realized he no longer had the power to make Emily's decisions.

They all left the archive together, taking Thomas's narrative of that terrible night and the remaining records with them.

They finally had substantial evidence instead of suspicion: a forged statement that might demonstrate Victor's effort to control the narrative, financial documents connecting Victor to the transactions, and a witness who could describe what he had witnessed.

Yet as Damian got ready to meet his uncle, Emily understood that the following few hours would decide much more than just Knight Global's future.

They will determine whether her parents' story can finally be told.

And lastly if Damian could remain by her side without making her fight to regain his trust?