Chapter 10: The Truth Andrew Hid
Andrew stood in the doorway.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
The room felt frozen.
Margaret looked terrified.
I looked at Andrew.
And Andrew looked like a man who had finally run out of places to hide.
“Daniel,” he said quietly.
I didn’t move.
“What are you doing here?””
He glanced at Margaret.
Then at me.
“I was looking for you.””
“That’s convenient.””
His face tightened.
“You think I’m involved.””
“I think I have a lot of questions.””
Andrew stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“Good.””
That surprised me.
“Good?””
“Yes.””
He looked exhausted.
“Because you deserve answers.””
Margaret stood.
“Andrew, you shouldn’t be here.””
He looked at her.
“I know.””
“Then why did you come?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
That silence told me more than words could.
“Sit down,” I said.
Andrew sat across from me.
The same position Michael had sat in.
The same position everyone eventually found themselves in when the truth started catching up.
I placed the document on the desk.
“Did you know about this?””
Andrew looked at it.
“Yes.””
The answer came instantly.
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“No.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
He looked down.
“Because I thought I could fix it.””
I almost laughed.
“Fix it?””
“Yes.””
“Andrew, someone forged my signature.””
“I know.””
“Someone used my account.””
“I know.””
“Someone is trying to take my company.””
His eyes lifted.
“I know.””
The room went silent.
Because he wasn’t denying anything.
He was admitting it.
“How long?”” I asked.
“Three months.””
Three months.
A long time to carry a secret.
A long time to watch someone betray you.
“Start from the beginning.””
Andrew took a deep breath.
“Thomas contacted me after he sold his shares.””
“I know.””
“He told me he had made a mistake.””
I frowned.
“A mistake?””
“He said leaving the company was the worst decision of his life.””
I looked away.
That sounded like Thomas.
Not because it was true.
Because it was the version of himself he wanted people to see.
“What did he want from you?””
“At first?””
Andrew paused.
“Information.””
My jaw tightened.
“And you gave it to him.””
“Yes.””
The word hurt.
More than I expected.
“Why?””
Andrew looked ashamed.
“Because I thought I was helping.””
I shook my head.
“Helping who?””
“Both of you.””
I stood and walked toward the window.
“That’s what everyone says.””
I looked back.
“They’re helping.””
Andrew swallowed.
“But they’re always helping Thomas.””
He had no answer.
“Then what changed?””
Andrew was quiet.
“Three weeks ago, I realized he wasn’t trying to fix things.””
“What was he doing?””
“He was building a case.””
“A case?””
“To make it look like you were incompetent.””
I stared at him.
“He wanted the board to remove me.””
Andrew nodded.
“He wanted control.””
“And the restaurant?””
“A distraction.””
I turned.
“What?””
“He knew you would notice the restaurant.””
Andrew looked at Margaret.
“He wanted you angry. He wanted you focused on the obvious betrayal.””
I thought about the waiter.
The humiliation.
The confrontation.
The phone call.
The documents.
Everything had been connected.
Thomas wasn’t creating chaos.
He was directing it.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Andrew’s eyes lowered.
“Because he threatened me.””
“With what?””
He hesitated.
Then pulled out his phone.
“I recorded him.””
He played the audio.
Thomas’s voice filled the office.
“You need to understand, Andrew. If Daniel finds out too early, everything collapses.””
A pause.
Then Andrew’s voice:
“And if I don’t cooperate?””
Thomas replied calmly.
“Then everyone finds out about the mistake you made five years ago.””
The recording stopped.
I looked at Andrew.
“What mistake?””
He didn’t answer.
Margaret did.
“Daniel…”
I turned toward her.
She looked at Andrew.
Then back at me.
“Andrew wasn’t the only person Thomas controlled.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What does that mean?””
Andrew closed his eyes.
“Five years ago, I made a financial decision.””
“What kind of decision?””
“A bad one.””
He looked at me.
“I almost destroyed the company.””
The words hung there.
“But you fixed it.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Andrew’s voice became quiet.
“Thomas covered it.””
I understood.
The picture became clearer.
Thomas had been collecting debts.
Favors.
Secrets.
He didn’t need to force people.
He made them feel like they owed him.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Thomas.
*Now you know why Andrew stayed quiet.*
I looked at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*Ask him what happened to your first major contract.*
My blood ran cold.
Because there was only one person who knew that story.
May you like
Thomas.
And Andrew.
