"He lives across the street."
Richard frowned.
Daniel took a seat.
"I believe there's something we should discuss."
The general counsel opened a document.
"Effective immediately, Mr. Carter controls 52 percent of Crosswell Technologies."
Evelyn stared at Daniel.
"No."
Daniel said nothing.
Her father slammed his hand on the table.
"How?"
"Through the restructuring agreement."
"You can't control my company."
Daniel looked at him.
"I don't control your company because of my wealth."
He placed a document on the table.
"I control it because the shareholders transferred voting authority according to the agreement your legal team signed."
Silence filled the room.
Then Daniel added:
"And because the company was nearly insolvent."
Evelyn's face reddened.
"You planned this."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He looked directly at her.
"I planned to save the company."
She laughed bitterly.
"After buying it."
"No."
Daniel's voice remained calm.
"I bought the company after discovering how badly it had been managed."
Her father stood.
"This meeting is over."
Daniel didn't move.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"This meeting is only beginning."
Daniel opened another file.
"My father worked here."
Richard Cross's expression changed.
"Who was your father?"
"James Carter."
The room went silent.
Evelyn looked at her father.
"Do you know him?"
Richard didn't answer.
Daniel noticed.
"You remember."
Richard sat down slowly.
"Your father was an engineer."
"Senior systems engineer."
"Yes."
"He created the architecture behind Crosswell's original infrastructure platform."
Richard's jaw tightened.
"The company purchased his work."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He opened a second document.
"The company claimed it had purchased his work."
He slid copies across the table.
"My father disputed the ownership."
Evelyn picked up one page.
"What happened?"
Daniel looked at Richard.
"He was fired."
Richard said nothing.
"My father spent the last twelve years of his life believing that the company had stolen the work he created."
Daniel's voice remained controlled.
"He died without ever seeing the truth established."
Evelyn looked uncomfortable.
"Are you saying my father stole his patents?"
"I'm saying the documents deserve to be investigated."
Richard stood.
"This is an old matter."
Daniel replied:
"Old doesn't mean irrelevant."
He looked around the room.
"And I've already found three witnesses."
Richard's face went pale.
Daniel's investigation revealed something unexpected.
Three former Crosswell employees had preserved copies of internal correspondence.
One was an accountant.
One was a software architect.
The third was Richard Cross's former legal assistant.
All three told versions of the same story.
James Carter had developed a revolutionary infrastructure system.
Richard Cross had recognized its commercial potential.