Chapter 6 - The Daughter He ChoseI stared at Thomas.
“You chose?”
He nodded.
“Your grandfather gave me a decision.”
“What decision?”
“Whether the company and the estate would go to you or Megan.”
My stomach tightened.
“That makes no sense.”
“He believed Megan was unstable.”
I looked at Megan.
She lowered her eyes.
Thomas continued.
“He thought she was irresponsible.”
Karen suddenly said, “That's not true.”
Thomas snapped at her.
“You weren't there.”
Megan looked at me.
“What did Grandfather think of me?”
Thomas laughed without humor.
“He thought you were spoiled.”
Megan's face fell.
“And me?”
He stared at me.
“He thought you were brilliant.”
I couldn't speak.
The same man who had told me I was average.
My grandfather had believed the opposite.
Thomas continued.
“He wanted the trust to go to you.”
“Then why didn't it?”
“Because he died.”
“That doesn't answer the question.”
Thomas looked down.
“Before he died, he changed the documents.”
My pulse quickened.
“He changed them to protect me.”
“Yes.”
“From you?”
“From me.”
I looked at Karen.
She was crying.
“You both knew.”
She whispered, “Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since before you got sick.”
I stood.
“You watched me suffer knowing the entire thing was a lie.”
Thomas looked furious now.
“You don't understand what your grandfather did.”
“I understand enough.”
“He destroyed this family.”
“No.”
I looked him directly in the eyes.
“You did.”
Megan suddenly spoke.
“Emily.”
I turned.
She was crying.
“I didn't know.”
I stared at her.
“You didn't know what?”
“That they had lied about the money.”
“You didn't know they left me because of the trust?”
She shook her head.
“I thought…”
“What?”
“I thought they were trying to save our family.”
I looked at her.
“Did they ever tell you I was dying?”
“Yes.”
“Did you believe them?”
She nodded.
“And when I survived?”
“They told me you moved away.”
My chest tightened.
“They told you I died?”
She began crying harder.
“No.”
“What did they say?”
“That you didn't want contact.”
I laughed.
The sound echoed through the restaurant.
“You believed that?”
“I was sixteen.”
“So was I when I needed someone to defend me.”
She looked devastated.
Thomas stood.
“This conversation is over.”
“No.”
I sat back down.
“You called me here.”
He glared at me.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“Then here's the truth.”
He leaned closer.
“Your grandfather didn't just leave you money.”
“What else?”
“A controlling interest in the company.”
The room seemed to disappear.
“How much?”
“Twenty-nine percent.”
I stared at him.
“That's enough to make you one of the largest individual shareholders.”
“Yes.”
“And that's why you're here.”
Thomas nodded.
“We want you to sell.”
“To you?”
“To us.”
“Why?”
“Because we need control.”
I looked at Karen.
“How much are you offering?”
Thomas gave me a number.
I almost laughed.
“You think that's enough?”
“It is generous.”
I pushed the paper back.
“No.”
His face hardened.
“You should think carefully.”
“I have.”
“You have no idea what you're walking into.”
I stood.
“Then explain it.”
Thomas looked at me.
His voice became cold.
“If you don't sell, people are going to start asking questions about your grandfather's death.”
My heart stopped.
“Why?”
He smiled.
“Because there are things you don't know about that night.”
I stared at him.
“What happened?”
He stood.
“Find out.”
Then he walked away.
Karen followed.
Megan stayed behind.
She looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
I said nothing.
She left.
Ten minutes later, I sat alone.
Then my lawyer entered.
I looked at her.
“You heard?”
She nodded.
“There is something else.”
“What?”
She put a file on the table.
“We investigated Richard Carter's death.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Because after your father mentioned it, I became curious.”
She opened the file.
“Your grandfather died officially of a heart attack.”
“Officially?”
“Yes.”
I looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
She turned the page.
“The autopsy was inconclusive.”
My blood ran cold.
May you like
Then she added:
“And one witness disappeared three days later.”
