Ryan arrived at his father’s funeral struggling to say goodbye, but Bella, his loyal dog, had other plans. She barked uncontrollably and leapt onto the casket, knocking flowers aside and alerting Ryan that something was wrong. When he opened the casket, it was empty his father’s body was gone. Panic spread through the church. His mother fainted, and Ryan rushed her to the hospital, then called the police.
Digging deeper, Ryan discovered Arnold’s email inbox had been wiped clean and two figurines were missing from his office. He followed a hunch and tailed Arnold’s secretary, Miss Pearson, eventually breaking into her home. There, he found a photo of her kissing Arnold—and his father’s $7 million life insurance policy naming her as the sole beneficiary.
Ryan’s instincts told him Arnold was alive, and the missing figurines were the key. He tracked down the rare third piece of the set and sold off a huge portion of his company shares to buy it, then placed it in a public auction to lure his father out of hiding. His gamble paid off—Arnold appeared at the auction and bid $1 million on the figurine. As Arnold tried to leave, Ryan blocked him, and Detective Bradshaw arrested him.
Ryan was devastated by his father’s betrayal. “You taught me to do what’s right, Dad,” he said. “But you ran from your life and made us grieve for nothing.” As Arnold was led away in handcuffs, Detective Bradshaw promised Miss Pearson wouldn’t be far behind. Ryan, still shaken, held on to the hope that exposing the truth might one day help his family heal.
