Chapter 13: My Mother Finally Told Me Everything
Richard stared at the door like he had seen a ghost.
My mother knocked again.
“Claire?””
I looked at Richard.
“You’re afraid of her.””
His jaw tightened.
“I’m afraid of what she brought with her.””
“What does that mean?””
Before he answered, my mother spoke again.
“Claire, Jordan called me. Please open the door.””
Richard moved toward me.
“Don’t.””
I stepped away.
“Why?””
“Because Evelyn has spent twenty years cleaning up Thomas’s mistakes.””
My hand rested on the lock.
“And you’ve spent twenty years creating them.””
I opened the door.
My mother stood there.
Jordan was beside her.
And behind them stood my father.
The moment Richard saw him, his face hardened.
“Thomas.””
My father entered slowly.
“Richard.””
Twenty years of resentment seemed to fill the room between them.
My mother immediately came toward me.
“Are you all right?””
“I don’t know.””
That was the only honest answer I had left.
Jordan closed the door.
“I analyzed the recording.””
Richard folded his arms.
“You already said it was authentic.””
“Part of it is.””
Jordan placed his laptop on the desk.
“But several seconds were removed.””
Richard laughed.
“Convenient.””
Jordan ignored him.
“We recovered an older backup from the original file.””
Richard’s smile vanished.
My father looked at him.
“You should have destroyed everything.””
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
“I kept insurance.””
“And now it’s exposing you.””
I stepped between them.
“Enough.””
Everyone stopped.
“I am done listening to half-truths.””
I looked at my father.
“Did you say you wanted William handled?””
“Yes.””
My mother closed her eyes.
My heart sank.
“Why?””
My father looked at Richard.
“Because William discovered Richard was stealing from the company.””
Richard immediately interrupted.
“Liar.””
Jordan raised a hand.
“Let him finish.””
My father continued.
“William came to me with evidence. Richard had created shell companies and was moving money.””
I looked at Richard.
“You stole from them?””
Richard’s expression remained cold.
“I took what I was owed.””
“That means yes.””
He said nothing.
My father continued.
“William wanted to go to the police. I was afraid.””
“Why?””
“Because if the scandal became public, the company would collapse.””
My stomach tightened.
“So you protected the company.””
“I tried to protect everyone.””
There it was again.
Protection.
The word my family used whenever they wanted to excuse secrecy.
“What did you tell Richard?””
My father looked ashamed.
“I told him to handle William.””
Richard smiled.
“Exactly.””
“But I meant buy his shares. Settle the dispute. Get him away from the company.””
Jordan opened the recovered audio.
My father’s younger voice filled the office.
“I need you to handle William.””
Then the missing section played.
“Buy him out if you have to. Pay him fairly. I don’t want him talking publicly until we can prove where the missing money went. Evelyn and Claire could lose everything if this collapses.””
I stared at Richard.
The recording continued.
Richard’s voice answered:
“Leave it to me.””
Then my father:
“No threats. No tricks. Do you understand?””
The recording ended.
Silence.
Richard looked furious.
“That proves nothing.””
“It proves you edited the recording,” I said.
My mother stepped forward.
“And I know what happened afterward.””
Everyone looked at her.
She opened her handbag and removed a worn envelope.
“I kept these because I knew one day Richard might come back.””
She handed me several letters.
They were written by William Reid.
Marcus’s father.
The first was addressed to my father.
“Thomas, I know now you weren’t responsible for the missing money.””
My hands trembled.
I kept reading.
“Richard offered me money to blame you publicly. When I refused, he threatened my family.””
I looked up.
Richard’s face had gone pale.
My mother pointed toward another letter.
“Read the last one.””
I unfolded it.
“If anything happens to me, Richard Bennett is responsible.””
My breath caught.
“Where did William go?””
My mother sat down.
“He didn’t disappear the way Marcus believes.””
“What happened?””
“He took his family and left.””
“Why?””
“Because Richard threatened Marcus.””
I stared at her.
“Marcus?””
“He was a child.””
My mother’s voice cracked.
“William chose his son over revenge.””
The truth landed differently now.
Marcus had grown up believing my father destroyed his family.
But his own father had left evidence saying otherwise.
“Why didn’t Marcus know?””
My mother looked toward Richard.
“Because someone intercepted William’s letters.””
Richard said nothing.
My anger became almost unbearable.
“You let Marcus hate my father.””
Richard shrugged.
“Hatred is useful.””
My father moved toward him, but I stepped between them.
“No.””
I looked at Richard.
“You don’t get another family fight.””
Then the office door opened.
Marcus stood there.
His face was white.
He had heard everything.
“My father wrote those letters?””
My mother nodded.
“Yes.””
Marcus looked at Richard.
“You told me Thomas threatened him.””
Richard’s confidence disappeared.
Marcus stepped closer.
“You told my mother the same thing.””
Richard looked toward the window.
Marcus’s voice broke.
“My entire life…”
He swallowed.
“You built my entire life around a lie.””
Richard finally looked at him.
“And you believed it because you needed someone to blame.””
Marcus froze.
I saw the words hit him.
Then Richard grabbed his coat.
“This conversation is over.””
Jordan blocked the doorway.
“No, it isn’t.””
Richard laughed.
“You’re a lawyer, Jordan. Not a police officer.””
Jordan calmly raised his phone.
“You’re right.””
Then distant sirens became audible outside.
Richard’s face changed.
May you like
Jordan looked at him.
“But the people downstairs are.””
