Something that would soon change her life.
And the company bearing her family's name.
Two police vehicles entered Hawthorne Lane less than ten minutes later.
Evelyn immediately walked toward the first officer.
"Thank God you're here."
Officer Michael Ross stepped out.
"What happened?"
"That man stole the Ferrari."
Daniel remained beside the vehicle.
"I didn't steal anything."
Ross looked at Daniel.
"Step away from the car."
Daniel complied.
"My identification is in my wallet."
"Keep your hands where I can see them."
Daniel raised both hands.
"Certainly."
The second officer, Lena Brooks, approached the Ferrari.
She examined the license plate.
"Michael, let's run the plate."
Ross nodded.
Evelyn interrupted.
"He's probably using false registration."
Officer Brooks glanced at her.
"We'll verify everything."
The computer returned a result.
Brooks stared at the screen.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"Mr. Carter?"
"Yes?"
"This vehicle is registered to you."
Evelyn's face tightened.
"That's impossible."
Brooks continued.
"The registration matches the VIN."
Evelyn stepped forward.
"Could the records be wrong?"
"That's possible," Brooks said. "That's why we're checking."
Daniel reached slowly into his jacket.
"May I show you the documents?"
Brooks nodded.
He handed her his driver's license.
She compared the information.
Everything matched.
Daniel Carter.
Same address.
Same vehicle.
Evelyn stared at him.
"This doesn't prove he owns the house."
Daniel looked at her.
"No. It doesn't."
Officer Brooks checked the property database.
Her eyebrows rose.
"Actually, it does."
She turned the screen slightly toward Ross.
"The property was transferred six days ago."
"To whom?"
Brooks looked at Daniel.
"Daniel Carter."
Silence.
Evelyn's expression became almost impossible to read.
The police had arrived expecting a possible vehicle theft.
Instead, they had found a legally documented homeowner standing beside his own Ferrari.
But Daniel wasn't interested in humiliating Evelyn.
He simply said:
"I'd like the incident recorded accurately."
Officer Ross nodded.
"Of course."
Evelyn looked furious.
"This is ridiculous."
Daniel picked up his keys.
"No. What's ridiculous is that you called the police before asking a single reasonable question."
She glared at him.
"You don't know anything about me."
Daniel looked at her for a moment.
"You're right."
Then he turned toward his house.
"But I know enough about what happened this morning."
He walked inside.
Evelyn remained in the driveway.
She believed the incident was over.
It wasn't.
It had barely begun.
That afternoon, Daniel sat in his new office.
Boxes surrounded him.
His laptop displayed a financial report.
At the top of the document was the name:
CROSSWELL TECHNOLOGIES
Daniel leaned back.
He had spent years studying the company.
Crosswell was a technology and infrastructure corporation founded by Evelyn's father, Richard Cross.