Chapter 5: The Uncle Who Bought a Funeral
“Put the gun down!””
Nathaniel stepped in front of Eleanor.
Charles laughed.
“Still playing the hero. Your father would be proud.””
The older man stood near the shattered entrance, wearing a charcoal suit and leather gloves. Two men dressed in black stood behind him.
I instinctively moved closer to my mother.
Grace grabbed my hand.
“Don't move, Rose.””
Charles noticed her.
His smile widened.
“Grace Carter. You really are difficult to kill.””
My mother lifted her chin.
“And you're still a coward hiding behind hired men.””
One of the guards stepped forward.
Charles raised his hand.
“Careful. I didn't come here to create a mess.””
Nathaniel's jaw tightened.
“You faked your death.””
“An excellent decision, wasn't it? The funeral was beautiful.””
“You manipulated my entire life.””
Charles shrugged.
“Your father and I made certain decisions. You benefited from them.””
“I was stolen from my mother!””
“You were given a better life.””
I stepped forward before I could stop myself.
“And what about me?””
Charles looked at me.
For a moment, his expression changed.
Then he smiled.
“Ah. The little girl.””
“I'm twenty-eight.””
“To me, you'll always be the mistake that complicated everything.””
Nathaniel moved toward him.
“Don't speak to her.””
Charles pointed the gun at Nathaniel's chest.
“Stay where you are.””
Eleanor struggled to her feet.
“Charles, enough. You have destroyed this family.””
He turned toward her.
“You destroyed it when you helped Grace.””
“I protected those children.””
“You should have minded your own business.””
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
“I held Rose when she was born. I promised Grace I would keep both babies safe.””
Charles laughed.
“And you failed.””
I looked at Eleanor.
She had held me as a newborn?
The thought made my chest ache.
Charles continued.
“Richard understood something you never did, Nathaniel. A family fortune needs a strong successor. Your father wanted an heir without complications.””
Nathaniel stared at him.
“So you and my father arranged to take me?””
“Your father made the arrangement. I handled the paperwork.””
“And the fire?””
Charles glanced at Grace.
“She was becoming inconvenient.””
My mother flinched.
I felt something inside me snap.
“You burned her apartment?””
Charles looked almost bored.
“I arranged for someone to frighten her. The fire was unfortunate.””
“Unfortunate?””
My voice shook.
“My mother nearly died.””
“And yet here she is.””
Nathaniel took another step.
“I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison.””
Charles laughed.
“On what evidence? A photograph? A story from a woman who disappeared for sixteen years? Your mother's word against mine?””
He pulled a small device from his pocket.
“Besides, I have something far more important than your family drama.””
He pressed a button.
A large screen on the wall illuminated.
It displayed a bank document.
Nathaniel looked at it.
His expression changed.
“What is that?””
“Your inheritance transfer.””
Charles enlarged the document.
It showed a proposed transfer of controlling shares in Callaway Global Holdings to a private investment company.
Nathaniel's name appeared at the bottom.
The signature looked authentic.
But Nathaniel shook his head.
“I never signed this.””
“Not yet,” Charles replied.
“But you will.””
“Why?””
“Because the company is in trouble.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“What trouble?””
Charles smiled.
“Your father left behind a few financial arrangements. I kept them alive. Unfortunately, the debts are now due. Without my intervention, your empire will collapse.””
Nathaniel looked at the document again.
“How much?””
“Four billion dollars.””
Eleanor gasped.
Charles continued.
“You transfer the controlling shares to my company, and I make the debt disappear. Refuse, and tomorrow morning the banks begin calling in their loans.””
Nathaniel's face hardened.
“You're blackmailing me.””
“I'm offering you a solution.””
Grace suddenly spoke.
“Don't sign anything.””
Charles turned toward her.
“Still pretending you understand business?””
“I understand your business very well.””
She reached inside her coat and removed a small silver flash drive.
Charles's smile disappeared.
“What is that?””
“The original financial records Richard hid before he died.””
Nathaniel looked at her.
“You have those?””
Grace nodded.
“Every transfer. Every payment. Every false company. Every bribe.””
Charles's men shifted uneasily.
Charles raised his gun slightly.
“Give it to me.””
“No.””
“Grace.””
“You've spent twenty-eight years destroying lives. I'm done being afraid of you.””
Charles pointed the gun at her.
I screamed.
But before he could pull the trigger, Marcus emerged from the kitchen doorway.
He swung a heavy metal fire extinguisher into the nearest guard's arm.
The gun fell.
Nathaniel tackled the second man.
I grabbed Eleanor and pulled her behind the marble sofa.
“DOWN!””
A shot exploded.
Glass shattered behind us.
Marcus wrestled with Charles while Nathaniel struggled with the second guard.
The flash drive skidded across the floor.
I crawled toward it.
Charles saw me.
“GET HER!””
One of the guards broke free and lunged.
I grabbed the silver drive and threw it toward Nathaniel.
“CATCH!””
He caught it.
Then Marcus slammed Charles against the wall.
Within seconds, the building's security team flooded the penthouse.
The two guards were restrained.
Charles was handcuffed.
But he was still smiling.
“You think this is over?””
Nathaniel stood over him.
“It's over.””
Charles leaned closer.
“You should ask Eleanor what she did the night Grace gave birth.””
Nathaniel froze.
“What?””
Charles laughed.
“Ask your mother why she chose which twin would be taken.””
Eleanor's face turned white.
I looked at her.
“Mrs. Callaway?””
She couldn't meet my eyes.
Charles was dragged toward the elevator.
His final words followed him down the corridor.
“Some mothers have secrets too.””
The doors closed.
Nathaniel turned toward Eleanor.
“Mom, what was he talking about?””
Eleanor sank into a chair.
Then she began sobbing.
“I didn't choose which baby would be taken,” she whispered.
I moved closer.
“Then what happened?””
She looked at me.
May you like
“I chose which baby I would save.””
And suddenly, I understood that the story of my birth was even darker than I had imagined.
