"She was more than that."
Richard opened an old cabinet.
"She was a programmer, inventor, and entrepreneur. She developed a data-processing system that became the foundation of several technologies still used today."
Evan looked stunned.
"Why have I never heard this?"
"Because your grandfather took control of the company."
Victoria interrupted.
"That's impossible."
Richard turned toward her.
"No. It's documented."
He removed a thin brown folder.
"Your grandfather offered Eleanor a partnership."
Naomi listened silently.
"He promised to expand her company internationally," Richard continued. "But after the contract was signed, he transferred the intellectual property into a separate Carrington subsidiary."
Evan stared at the folder.
"You're saying my grandfather stole her company?"
Richard didn't answer immediately.
"That is one interpretation."
Naomi looked at him.
"What happened to her?"
Richard lowered his eyes.
"She fought him."
"And?"
"She lost."
The room became quiet.
Richard placed another document on the desk.
"After years of legal battles, Eleanor disappeared from public life."
Naomi's voice trembled.
"My grandmother told me she had lost everything."
"She had."
"She never told us this."
"Because she didn't want your mother or you to grow up hating the Carrington family."
Naomi stared at the old documents.
A strange mixture of anger and sadness filled her chest.
Her grandmother had always been gentle.
She had taught Naomi to sew.
To read.
To save money.
To never judge someone by the size of their house.
But she had never told Naomi that she had once stood in a courtroom against one of the richest families in America.
Evan picked up a document.
"What's this?"
Richard looked at him.
"That is the original ownership agreement."
Evan read the first page.
Then the second.
His face changed.
"Her signature."
Naomi stepped closer.
At the bottom of the page was a familiar handwriting.
She had seen it on birthday cards and old letters.
Eleanor Brooks.
But beneath it was another signature.
Jonathan Carrington.
Evan stared at it.
"Why did you keep this?"
Richard's expression became heavy.
"Because your grandfather ordered me to destroy it."
Victoria stepped forward.
"You refused?"
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
Richard looked at Naomi.
"Because I knew one day the truth might matter."
Naomi touched the pendant around her neck.
"And this?"
Richard nodded.
"That pendant was given to Eleanor by Jonathan's father."
Evan looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because before the Carrington fortune became what it is today, there was a promise between the two families."
"What promise?"
Richard took a breath.
"That Eleanor would always receive half of the proceeds from any technology developed using her original work."
Evan's face went pale.
"If that's true..."
"Then your family fortune may have been built partly on stolen intellectual property."
Nobody spoke.
Naomi looked toward the closed library door.
She suddenly wanted to leave.
This wasn't her world.
This was a history of wealth, betrayal, lawyers, corporations, and secrets.
She had entered the gala because a billionaire wanted to humiliate her.
Now she was standing in the center of a scandal that could shake his entire family.
Evan turned toward her.
"Naomi."
She looked at him.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"Don't apologize yet."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know the whole truth."
Richard nodded.
"She's right."
He reached into the cabinet again.
"There is one more document."
He placed a sealed envelope on the desk.
The name written on it was Eleanor Brooks.
And beneath it were three words.
To my granddaughter.
Naomi stopped breathing.
Her grandmother had died two years earlier.
But apparently, she had left Naomi one final message.
One that had never been delivered.
Chapter 5
Naomi stared at the envelope.
Her hands began to shake.
"Why do you have this?"
Richard looked at her.
"Because Eleanor asked me to keep it."
"Why didn't you give it to me?"
"I didn't know where you were."
Naomi looked confused.
"I've lived in Chicago my entire life."
Richard gave a bitter smile.
"Not everyone wanted you to be found."
Evan's head snapped toward him.
"What does that mean?"
Richard didn't answer.
Victoria stepped forward.
"Open it."
Naomi looked at her.
"You don't get to tell me what to do."
Victoria's expression softened.
"I know."
It was the first time Naomi had heard genuine humility in her voice.
Naomi picked up the envelope.
The paper was old.
Her grandmother's handwriting was unmistakable.
She sat down.
Slowly, she opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Naomi unfolded it.
My dearest Naomi,
If you are reading this, then the time has finally come for you to know the truth.
Naomi's eyes filled with tears.
She continued.
I spent most of my life believing that silence could protect the people I loved.
I was wrong.
I believed that if I walked away from the Carrington family, the past would eventually disappear.
It did not.
It simply waited.
Naomi stopped reading.
Her vision blurred.
Evan remained silent beside her.
She continued.
Your mother knows only part of the story. I asked her not to investigate because I was afraid of what she might discover.
But you are different.
You have always asked questions.
You have always noticed what other people ignored.
If you ever meet a Carrington, remember this:
Not every Carrington is responsible for what Jonathan did.
But neither should you allow their wealth to convince you that the truth belongs to them.
Naomi lowered the letter.
Evan looked at her.
"What else does it say?"
She hesitated.
Then she read the final paragraph.
There is a trust.
It was established before the lawsuit ended.
The trust contains the remaining shares of Brooks Systems and a portion of the original patents.
I was told the trust would remain hidden until my granddaughter turned thirty.
At thirty, you become its legal beneficiary.
Naomi's heart stopped.
She looked up.
"I'm thirty."
Richard nodded.
"I know."
Evan looked stunned.
"How much is in the trust?"
Richard didn't answer.
Naomi frowned.
"How much?"
He opened another folder.
"The exact value is difficult to determine."
"Give me a number."
Richard looked at Evan.
Then back at Naomi.
"At today's valuation, the assets could be worth several hundred million dollars."
Silence.
Naomi laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because the number was too absurd to understand.
Several hundred million dollars.
She had spent the previous week worrying about whether she could afford her mother's prescription.
She had skipped lunch twice because she wanted to save money.
She had repaired the same pair of shoes three times.
And somewhere in a trust she had never heard of was a fortune worth more than she could imagine.
Evan looked at her.
"Naomi..."
She stood.
"No."
He stopped.
"I need air."
She walked toward the door.
Evan followed.
"Wait."
She turned.
"What?"
"I want to help."
Naomi stared at him.
"You've already helped enough."
"I was wrong."
"You were."
"I treated you terribly."
"You did."
"I thought you were..."
He couldn't finish.
"Poor?"
Naomi completed the sentence for him.
Evan looked down.
"Yes."
She nodded.
"At least you're honest."
He looked at her.
"I don't expect you to forgive me."
"Good."
Naomi opened the door.
But before she could leave, Victoria spoke.
"Naomi."
She turned.
Victoria walked toward her.
"I owe you an apology."
Naomi waited.
"I knew Eleanor."
Naomi's expression changed.