Chapter 10 - The Price of BetrayalMarissa wanted me to know.
That was obvious.
But I had learned one thing from my family.
Never let them control the timing.
So I didn't reply.
Instead, I forwarded the evidence to Rebecca.
She immediately told me not to confront Marissa.
“Why?”
“Because she may tell you something useful.”
“And if she doesn't?”
“She will.”
“How do you know?”
Rebecca looked at the video.
“Because people don't reveal secrets for free.”
She was right.
Marissa had spent her entire life turning vulnerability into currency.
So I waited.
At 10:13 p.m., she came to my apartment.
I almost didn't let her in.
When I opened the door, she walked past me without asking.
She looked exhausted.
No makeup.
No jewelry.
No silver dress.
Just my little sister.
For one dangerous second, I remembered us as children.
Then I remembered the plate.
“What did Dad promise you?” I asked.
She stared at me.
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
“For what?”
“To keep the boutique.”
I said nothing.
She laughed bitterly.
“You always thought I was irresponsible.”
“You were.”
“You thought I didn't care.”
“You didn't.”
She looked down.
“I cared.”
“About what?”
“Being worth something.”
I frowned.
“That doesn't excuse this.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you do it?”
She started crying.
“Because Dad said if I refused, he would destroy me.”
I almost laughed.
“He said the same thing about Mom.”
“He destroyed you too.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I destroyed myself for you.”
She looked up.
“You really believed that?”
“Yes.”
Marissa sat on the couch.
“Dad told me you would never know.”
“I know now.”
“He said the trust was a lie.”
“It wasn't.”
“I know.”
I stared at her.
“You knew?”
“I found out last year.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Dad showed me part of the trust.”
“Why?”
“To convince me to keep you dependent.”
“And you agreed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She wiped her face.
“Because he promised me the company.”
Silence.
“You thought he'd give you Bennett Distribution?”
“He promised me a controlling interest.”
“In return for destroying my inheritance.”
She nodded.
I couldn't believe it.
She wasn't just betraying me.
She was competing for what had always been mine.
“Did Mom know?”
“Yes.”
“Did she agree?”
“No.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Mom wanted to stop.”
“When?”
“After Grandpa died.”
“Then why didn't she?”
Marissa looked at me.
“Because Dad threatened to expose her.”
“Expose what?”
“She signed the transfer.”
“To Richard.”
“Yes.”
“And that's enough?”
“More than enough.”
I stood and walked to the window.
Then Marissa said something I wasn't expecting.
“Claire…”
“What?”
“Dad doesn't have the company anymore.”
I turned.
“What?”
“He moved most of the assets.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Then how do you know?”
“He told me.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
My chest tightened.
“What did he say?”
“He said the company was going to be sold.”
“To whom?”
“He didn't know.”
“That's impossible.”
“He said after the sale, there would be nothing left for the trust.”
I looked at Rebecca's emergency order on the counter.
“How much has already been moved?”
“I don't know.”
“Then why tell me?”
Marissa reached into her purse.
She pulled out a key.
A small brass key.
“I found this in Dad's office.”
I stared at it.
“What is it?”
“I don't know.”
“Why give it to me?”
“Because I think it's connected to Grandpa.”
I took it.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
“Dad told Richard that the original company records are still somewhere in the old warehouse.”
I looked at the key.
“Which warehouse?”
“The one your grandfather owned.”
“That property was sold.”
Marissa shook her head.
“Not all of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a basement.”
The next morning, Daniel and I drove to the old property.
The warehouse had been mostly demolished.
But behind a collapsed wall was a steel door.
The key fit.
Inside was a narrow room.
A desk.
A safe.
A dusty computer.
And on the wall…
A calendar.
The date was seventeen years old.
One date was circled.
The date my grandfather died.
Under it was a handwritten sentence.
If Claire ever finds this, tell her the truth.
I opened the safe.
Inside was a single envelope.
I pulled it out.
There was no letter.
Only one photograph.
My grandfather.
My father.
My mother.
And someone else.
A man I didn't recognize.
He stood behind them with one hand on my grandfather's shoulder.
On the back, my grandfather had written:
This is the man your father has been paying for seventeen years.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who is he?”
Daniel enlarged the photograph.
His face went pale.
“I know him.”
“Who?”
May you like
Daniel whispered,
“Richard Cole's brother.”
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