Chapter 8 - The BetrayalThe man was Thomas Reed.
Richard's chief financial adviser.
His closest business partner.
A man who had attended every Hawthorne family celebration for twenty years.
Richard refused to believe it.
“There's no way.”
Leo looked at him.
“Dad, listen.”
They played the recording again.
Richard closed his eyes.
He remembered Thomas standing beside him after Sarah disappeared.
Offering sympathy.
Offering help.
Offering to manage the family's finances while Richard struggled with grief.
It suddenly looked different.
Not kindness.
Preparation.
Richard called the police.
But Thomas had already disappeared.
His office was empty.
His phone was off.
His house had been abandoned.
And every account connected to him had been drained.
The detective looked at Richard.
“This wasn't just about your fortune.”
“What was it about?”
“Control.”
Richard stared at the financial records.
Thomas had been moving money for years.
Millions.
Possibly hundreds of millions.
Then they discovered something that made the entire case darker.
One of the shell companies was connected to an old Hawthorne property.
A property Richard had never visited.
A property registered under his father's name.
And according to the records—
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Someone had been living there.
Until yesterday.
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