Chapter 14 - THE LAST CABINThe cruise ship was already hundreds of miles offshore.
Richard was on it.
My supposed dead father.
Alive.
And somewhere on the ship were Mom, Josh, Sophia, Aunt Maggie, and everyone else.
I stared at Charles.
“How do we get on?”
“We don't.”
“Then how do we get him off?”
“We don't.”
I shook my head.
“There has to be a way.”
Charles looked at me.
“There is one.”
He opened his briefcase.
Inside was a maritime security credential.
“We board at the next port.”
“How?”
“Legally.”
“Meaning?”
“I still represent Northstar.”
I smiled.
“For once, being a lawyer is useful.”
We flew overnight.
At dawn, we reached the port.
The cruise ship was scheduled to stay for four hours.
Enough time.
Maybe.
Security escorted us aboard.
I expected resistance.
Instead, the cruise line manager personally met us.
“Mr. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“There's been an incident.”
“What kind?”
“We received a legal notice from your family.”
I almost laughed.
“Of course.”
He handed me a file.
Inside:
A fraud complaint.
Forgery allegations.
And a request to restrain my trust assets.
The complaint was already filed.
I looked at Charles.
“They moved fast.”
“They expected you to.”
Then the manager whispered:
“There's more.”
He showed me CCTV footage.
Grandma being left behind.
Ashley taking my cabin.
Josh yelling at staff.
But the final video stopped me.
It showed Mom entering a staff-only area.
With someone.
A man.
Tall.
Gray hair.
I froze.
“That's him.”
Richard.
My father.
The man I had mourned for three years.
Alive.
I ran.
We followed the corridor.
Security opened a locked door.
Inside was a private suite.
Mom stood beside the window.
Josh was there.
Sophia was there.
Aunt Maggie.
And an old man sitting in a chair.
I stopped.
He looked at me.
His eyes were exactly the same as mine.
He stood slowly.
“Luke.”
My chest tightened.
“Dad?”
He smiled sadly.
“Yes.”
I couldn't move.
Mom began crying.
“Luke, I can explain.”
I ignored her.
I looked only at him.
“You let me believe you were dead.”
Richard lowered his head.
“I had no choice.”
“You had every choice.”
“They were going to kill you.”
“Who?”
He looked at Charles.
Then at Mom.
Then at Josh.
Finally, he said:
“Robert.”
My uncle.
His identical twin.
“The man controlling this entire operation?”
Richard nodded.
“He used your mother.”
“What about Northstar?”
“It's a trap.”
“For whom?”
“For Robert.”
I frowned.
Richard explained.
Robert believed the trust contained forty-one million dollars.
But the real asset wasn't the money.
It was the company contracts.
Control of ports.
Shipping routes.
Land.
The trust controlled an infrastructure network worth hundreds of millions.
That was what Robert wanted.
“But why me?”
“Because only you can transfer control.”
“Then the cruise…”
“Yes.”
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
I turned toward Mom.
“You gave Ashley my cabin.”
Mom cried.
“I was trying to make you angry.”
“So I'd cancel.”
“Yes.”
“So you'd create a fake financial crisis.”
“Yes.”
“So I'd sign.”
“Yes.”
“You were trying to steal everything.”
“I was trying to save everyone.”
“No.”
I looked at her.
“You were trying to save yourself.”
She broke down.
Then Josh stepped forward.
“I helped.”
I looked at him.
“I know.”
“I thought if we got the trust, we could negotiate with Robert.”
“Did you?”
Josh shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Robert already had the power.”
Then Sophia whispered:
“He has Grandma.”
I turned.
“What?”
“He took her.”
My blood froze.
“Where?”
“No one knows.”
Mom started sobbing.
Then Richard looked at me.
“That's why you were never supposed to come here.”
My phone buzzed.
A live video appeared.
Grandma.
Tied to a chair.
A man stood behind her.
He stepped into the frame.
I recognized him immediately.
He looked exactly like my father.
Robert.
He smiled.
“Hello, Luke.”
May you like
Then he said:
“Bring me the trust.”
