Chapter 11: The Man Behind the Foundation
At 2:05 a.m., I entered the Cross Education Foundation headquarters.
The building was mostly dark.
Only the executive floor remained illuminated.
Marcus walked beside me while two security officers followed several steps behind.
Daniel's car was parked outside.
His office door was open.
He was standing beside the window, holding a glass of whiskey.
He didn't turn when I entered.
"I wondered how long it would take you.""
I closed the door.
"Turn around.""
Daniel slowly faced me.
His eyes moved toward Marcus.
"Did you bring your entire army?""
"I brought witnesses.""
He laughed bitterly.
"Of course you did.""
I placed the memory card on his desk.
"Do you recognize this?""
Daniel glanced at it.
His expression changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely frightened.
"Where did you get that?""
"Lauren Bennett.""
He closed his eyes.
"She's alive?""
"Yes.""
Daniel placed his glass down.
"Alexander, you need to understand—"
"No.""
I stepped closer.
"You need to understand something. I watched my daughter learn how to walk again. I held her when she cried because her classmates stared at her prosthetic leg. I sat beside her through surgeries and physical therapy.""
My voice broke.
"And you knew what happened to her.""
Daniel looked away.
"I never wanted Emily to get hurt.""
"Then why did you put her in Tyler's classroom?""
"Richard promised everything would be controlled.""
I stared at him.
"Controlled?""
Daniel rubbed his face.
"It was supposed to be psychological pressure. Tyler was supposed to frighten her. You were supposed to become desperate enough to negotiate.""
I felt sick.
"You used an eight-year-old child as leverage.""
"I was trying to save the foundation.""
I laughed.
"No. You were trying to save yourself.""
Daniel suddenly slammed his hand against the desk.
"You have no idea what I was dealing with!""
I didn't move.
"Explain it.""
He paced across the room.
"Father had discovered the missing money. He was going to remove me from the foundation. Richard promised he could fix the problem.""
"By stealing more?""
"By restructuring the accounts.""
"That's what criminals call it?""
Daniel ignored me.
"Then Father died. Richard said we had one chance to keep the foundation alive. He convinced me to sign the Northstar agreement.""
"And the accident?""
Daniel stopped.
His shoulders dropped.
"I gave Grant instructions to scare Victoria.""
"You knew Emily was in the car.""
He didn't answer.
"LOOK AT ME!""
Daniel turned.
His eyes were wet.
"Yes.""
The word was barely audible.
I felt something inside me collapse.
"Why?""
"Because Victoria had the documents. She was going to expose everything.""
"She was your sister-in-law!""
"I know!""
"Emily was your niece!""
"I KNOW!""
He began crying.
For a moment, I saw the little brother who used to follow me around our father's construction sites.
Then I remembered the hospital.
Emily's damaged prosthesis.
Her frightened voice.
And the photograph of her sitting alone at school.
I stepped back.
"You're going to tell the authorities everything.""
Daniel shook his head.
"I can't.""
"Why?""
"Because Richard has the original contracts. If I cooperate, he'll destroy the remaining evidence and blame everything on me.""
I stared at him.
"Then we'll find the evidence.""
Daniel suddenly looked toward the door.
"Alexander, you don't understand who Richard really works for.""
I narrowed my eyes.
"What does that mean?""
He walked toward his desk and opened a locked drawer.
Inside was a photograph.
Three men stood together at a private dinner.
One was Richard Whitmore.
Another was Daniel.
The third was an older man with silver hair.
I recognized him immediately.
Arthur Bennett.
My father's closest friend.
He had been the foundation's original treasurer and chairman of its first advisory board.
After my father died, Arthur had attended every major foundation event.
He'd even given the speech at my father's memorial.
I picked up the photograph.
"Why is Arthur involved?""
Daniel looked at me.
"Because he was the one who introduced Richard to Father.""
I stared at him.
"You're saying Arthur knew about the stolen money?""
Daniel nodded.
"He approved the transfers. He arranged the meetings. He controlled the original Northstar contracts.""
"Why would he do that?""
"Because the foundation was never supposed to become what Father wanted.""
Daniel pulled another document from the drawer.
It was a draft agreement.
The title read:
*CROSS EDUCATION FOUNDATION — CHANGE OF CONTROL PROPOSAL.*
The agreement transferred most of the foundation's voting authority to a private management group.
The proposed chairman was Arthur Bennett.
I looked at the date.
It had been prepared six months before my father's death.
My hands tightened.
"Did Father know?""
Daniel nodded.
"He found out. That's why he started investigating.""
"And that's why you were afraid?""
Daniel looked down.
"Arthur told Richard that if Father refused to cooperate, the family would lose everything.""
I leaned forward.
"Did Arthur have anything to do with Father's death?""
Daniel went completely still.
"I don't know.""
I stared at him.
"Don't lie to me.""
"I'm not.""
He handed me another envelope.
Inside was a copy of a medical report.
My father's final hospitalization had been recorded as complications from a heart condition.
But the medication list included a prescription that had never appeared in his original medical records.
I looked up.
"Where did you get this?""
"From Father's private physician.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because the doctor disappeared two months after Father died.""
I felt cold.
Before I could ask another question, Marcus's phone rang.
He listened briefly.
Then his expression changed.
"Sir.""
"What?""
"The foundation's main server has just been accessed remotely.""
"By whom?""
"We're tracing it.""
Daniel suddenly rushed toward his computer.
"NO!""
He grabbed the keyboard.
I caught his arm.
"What are you doing?""
"They're deleting Father's archive!""
Marcus immediately contacted the technical team.
But the screen went black.
A message appeared.
*YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. STOP INVESTIGATING.*
Then another line appeared.
*ASK ALEXANDER WHAT HE SIGNED THREE YEARS AGO.*
I stared at the screen.
"What did I sign?""
Daniel slowly released my arm.
His face had turned white.
"Alexander...""
I turned toward him.
"What?""
He whispered:
"Father's final medical authorization.""
My stomach tightened.
"What about it?""
Daniel looked as though he might collapse.
"You signed the document that gave Arthur Bennett control over Father's medical decisions during his final hospitalization.""
I stared at him.
"That was a routine authorization.""
Daniel shook his head.
"It wasn't.""
He opened the drawer again and removed a second copy.
At the bottom was a handwritten note from Arthur.
Ensure Robert receives the prescribed medication. No further delays.
I looked at Daniel.
Then at the document.
May you like
And suddenly, I understood why someone had worked so hard to keep the past buried.
Because if my father's death had been arranged, my signature might have been the final piece of evidence they needed to blame me.
