Chapter 8: My Mother's Impossible Confession
“Mom?””
My voice cracked as I stared at her.
She stood behind Marcus, her face pale, her eyes swollen from crying. She wasn't tied up or visibly injured, but the fear in her expression made my stomach twist.
Marcus stepped into the room.
“I'm glad you're all here,” he said.
“Now we can stop pretending.””
Claire moved in front of me.
“You have no right to be here.””
Marcus gave her a thin smile.
“I have every right to know what Richard left behind.””
“You have no right to threaten her.””
“Threaten?”” He glanced toward my mother.
“Ask Evelyn what happens when people interfere with my family.””
I turned toward Mom.
“Did he bring you here against your will?””
She shook her head.
“I came because he said you were in danger.””
Marcus spread his hands.
“She was worried about you. I thought it would be better if we all spoke face-to-face.””
I looked at him in disbelief.
“You broke into a private meeting after I told you I wanted nothing to do with you.””
“I didn't break in. The door was unlocked.””
Claire laughed bitterly.
“You forced it open.””
Marcus ignored her.
“Nia, give me the folder.””
I tightened my grip.
“No.””
His expression hardened.
“You have no idea what you're holding.””
“I know my father created a trust for me. I know you tried to gain control of my mother's property. And I know you knew something about the night he died.””
“That's not what happened.””
“Then explain it.””
Marcus looked toward my mother.
“Evelyn, tell her.””
Mom lowered her head.
My heart began pounding.
“Tell me what?””
She pressed her fingers against her lips.
Then she whispered, “Your father asked me to help him move the money.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He told me Arthur was stealing from the company. He said he needed to put the money somewhere safe until he could expose him.””
Claire nodded slowly.
“That's true. Richard trusted Evelyn with part of the plan.””
Mom continued, her voice shaking.
“I signed some documents. I moved a package from his office to the house. I didn't know what was inside until later.””
“What was inside?””
“A ledger. And a letter.””
I remembered Claire's warning.
Don't let Marcus get the original letter.
“Where is it?”” I asked.
Mom looked at Marcus.
He stepped closer.
“Evelyn, please. Tell her the truth.””
My mother began crying.
“I hid it in your father's old desk. But when I went back the next morning, it was gone.””
“Who took it?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Marcus interrupted.
“She does know. She just doesn't want to admit it.””
I turned on him.
“Stop speaking for her.””
He looked at me with something resembling desperation.
“Nia, your father made a lot of people suffer. He wasn't the hero you've imagined. He manipulated everyone around him, including your mother.””
Mom flinched.
Claire stepped forward.
“Richard made mistakes. But he didn't deserve what happened to him.””
Marcus's face changed.
“What exactly are you accusing my father of?””
Claire held his gaze.
“I'm accusing Arthur of stealing company funds, threatening Richard, and concealing evidence.””
“And you have proof?””
She pointed toward the folder in my hands.
“Enough to start an investigation.””
Marcus's voice became dangerously quiet.
“Then perhaps you should tell her about the money you received.””
Claire went still.
I looked between them.
“What money?””
Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out a photocopy of a bank transfer.
Claire's name appeared on the document.
Beside it was a payment made two days after my father's death.
The amount was substantial.
My stomach tightened.
“Claire?””
She looked away.
“I didn't steal anything.””
“Then why did you receive that money?””
“Richard arranged it before he died. It was compensation for the work I'd done helping him preserve the records.””
Marcus laughed.
“Convenient.””
Claire turned toward him.
“Your father offered me three times that amount if I handed over the original ledger.””
Silence fell.
I stared at her.
“You refused?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you tell anyone?””
“Because Arthur threatened my family. He said if I spoke, my husband would lose his job and my daughter would never be safe.””
She wiped her eyes.
“I left town because I thought disappearing was the only way to protect them.””
I wanted to believe her. But I had learned that day how dangerous it was to trust someone simply because their story made sense.
“Do you have the original letter?”” I asked.
Claire shook her head.
“Not anymore.””
Marcus smiled faintly.
I turned toward him.
“You have it?””
He didn't answer.
My mother suddenly stepped forward.
“Marcus, please. Give it back.””
He looked at her.
“You knew where it was?””
Mom began trembling.
“I saw it in your briefcase three weeks ago. You told me it was a copy.””
Marcus's expression hardened.
“And you believed me?””
Mom recoiled as though he had struck her.
I moved between them.
“Don't speak to her like that.””
He looked at me with cold eyes.
“Your mother signed the property agreement willingly. She knew the risks.””
“No. She trusted you.””
“And trust is a choice.””
I slapped him.
The sound cracked through the room.
Marcus touched his cheek slowly.
For a moment, I thought he might strike me back.
Instead, he smiled.
“You really are your father's daughter.””
He pulled a folded letter from his jacket.
The paper was yellowed at the edges, and my father's handwriting was unmistakable.
“This is the original,” he said.
“And it proves something you don't want to know.””
He unfolded it.
I could barely breathe.
The letter was addressed to Daniel Brooks and dated the day before my father's death.
If Arthur discovers the trust, he will come after Nia. But Arthur is not the only person who knows about the money.
Beneath that sentence was another line.
I have reason to believe someone inside my own home has been helping him.
My mother covered her mouth.
Marcus looked directly at her.
“Tell her, Evelyn.””
Mom shook her head violently.
“No.””
“Tell her who opened the office door that night.””
“Please stop.””
“Tell her who gave Arthur the key.””
I turned toward my mother.
“Mom?””
Tears streamed down her face.
“I didn't know what he was going to do.””
My entire body went cold.
“What did you do?””
She reached for my hands.
“I thought he only wanted the records. Arthur told me he was going to confront your father and force him to return the money.””
“You let Arthur into Dad's office?””
Mom nodded, sobbing.
“I gave him the key. I thought I was saving your father from a scandal that would destroy everything he had built.””
Marcus folded the letter.
“And when Richard died, she helped conceal what happened.””
I pulled my hands away from my mother's.
She looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath her.
“I never wanted him dead,” she whispered.
“Nia, you have to believe me.””
I couldn't answer.
The woman who had sacrificed everything to raise me had just admitted to helping the man who might have killed my father.
Then Claire suddenly grabbed the edge of the desk.
“That's not what happened,” she said.
Marcus turned sharply.
Claire looked at my mother, then at me.
“Evelyn didn't give Arthur the key.””
Mom stopped crying.
Claire's voice trembled.
“Because Arthur already had one.””
May you like
She looked directly at Marcus.
“The person who gave him the second key was his son.””
