Chapter 13: The Mother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For several seconds, nobody in the room spoke.
I held the phone against my ear, waiting for Thomas Porter to explain what he had just said.
“Margaret Miller is alive?””
“Yes,” he replied.
“But Patricia told us she died years ago.””
“Patricia was told that Margaret had disappeared. She assumed she was dead. Daniel believed the same thing.””
I looked at Grace.
Her face had gone completely white.
“Thomas,” I said slowly, “are you telling me Vanessa's mother is alive, and she's been involved in this entire situation?””
“Yes.””
“Where is she?””
“I don't know her exact location. But I know she's been communicating with Vanessa for months.””
Margaret Lewis reached for a notepad and wrote something.
Ask about the marriage.
I swallowed.
“You said Margaret planned my marriage to Daniel. What does that mean?””
Thomas sighed.
“Fourteen years ago, Margaret approached me with a proposal. She believed Daniel had a legitimate claim to Robert's estate. She wanted him connected to someone who could provide access to the protected properties.””
I felt sick.
“Someone like me.””
“Exactly.””
I looked at Elaine.
She was staring at the floor.
“Did you know?””
“No,” Elaine whispered.
“I swear I didn't.””
Thomas continued.
“Margaret knew about your mother's investment. She knew you were a beneficiary. She also knew Daniel had already signed the agreement limiting his access to the estate.””
“So she arranged for him to marry me?””
“She encouraged the relationship. Daniel made his own choices, but Margaret provided information and financial assistance.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Did Daniel ever love me?””
Thomas didn't answer immediately.
“I can't tell you what he felt.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“I can tell you that he was given information about your financial background before your first date.””
I closed my eyes.
Our first date.
A little Italian restaurant.
Daniel had asked about my mother, my childhood, and whether I planned to inherit her properties.
At the time, I'd thought he was simply interested in my family.
Now I understood why he had remembered every detail.
“Where can I find Margaret?”” I asked.
“I believe Vanessa knows.””
“Then we'll ask her.””
“No,” Thomas said urgently.
“You don't understand. Margaret has spent years building relationships with people who can make problems disappear. You cannot approach her without protection.””
Margaret Lewis leaned toward the phone.
“Mr. Porter, this is attorney Margaret Lewis. I want you to understand that any information you provide will be preserved as evidence. We need to arrange a secure meeting.””
Thomas agreed.
He gave us an address for a law office in Albany and promised to bring the original documents the following morning.
When the call ended, I sat motionless.
Grace moved beside me.
“Nia?””
I looked at her.
“Your mother was alive this entire time.””
Grace shook her head.
“She wasn't my mother. Margaret was Daniel's biological mother. My mother was someone else.””
I looked at her.
“Right.””
She took my hand.
“I'm sorry.””
“Don't apologize. None of this is your fault.””
Brielle stood near the window.
“My entire family is built on lies.””
I looked at her.
“Your family isn't the lies. The people who made those choices are responsible.””
She wiped her eyes.
Then Margaret Lewis interrupted.
“We have another problem.””
She turned her laptop toward us.
A new filing had appeared in the county property records.
It was an emergency transfer request involving three properties owned by the Carter development company.
The applicant was Miller Holdings LLC.
The authorization document carried my electronic signature.
I stared at it.
“That's impossible.””
Margaret enlarged the signature.
“It's the same forged signature from the loan application.””
“Can they transfer the properties?””
“Not while the protective restrictions are active. But this filing suggests someone is trying to exploit the confusion surrounding ownership.””
Elaine studied the document.
“Those three properties are the most valuable assets in the portfolio.””
“How much are they worth?”” Brielle asked.
“Approximately twelve million dollars.””
I looked at Margaret.
“Freeze everything.””
“Already done.””
Then my phone vibrated.
A text message from an unknown number.
*Nia, this is Margaret Miller. We need to talk about Daniel.*
Another message arrived.
*You have spent fourteen years believing you married a man who chose you. I can explain why he was selected.*
Grace read over my shoulder.
“Don't answer.””
But a third message appeared.
*If you want to know what happened to your mother, meet me at the place where she first met Robert. Come alone.*
I showed Margaret Lewis.
She immediately shook her head.
“Absolutely not.””
“I need to know what happened to my mother.””
“We can arrange a controlled meeting.””
“What if she disappears?””
“Then we find her through the evidence.””
I looked at the message again.
The place where my mother first met Robert.
I knew exactly where that was.
The old Carter Hotel.
It had been sold years ago and converted into a conference center.
My mother used to tell me stories about the place.
She had met Robert there at a business reception when she was twenty-eight.
I looked at Grace.
“I think she's trying to tell me something.””
Grace shook her head.
“Then we go together.””
Margaret Lewis agreed to arrange security and monitor the meeting.
The next morning, we drove to the old hotel.
I entered the lobby with Grace beside me.
The marble floor had been polished, but the building still carried the smell of old wood and expensive perfume.
A woman sat near the fireplace.
She wore a cream-colored coat and dark sunglasses.
Her hair was silver at the temples.
When she removed the glasses, I recognized the face from the photographs.
Margaret Miller.
She looked at me and smiled.
“You have your mother's eyes.””
I remained standing.
“Why did you arrange my marriage?””
She gestured toward the chair opposite her.
“Sit down, Nia.””
“Answer me.””
Her smile faded.
“Because Daniel needed someone who could help him reclaim what Robert had taken from his biological family.””
“He signed the agreement.””
“He was young.””
“He was thirty.””
Margaret laughed softly.
“Age doesn't always make a person wise.””
Grace stepped forward.
“Why did you abandon Daniel?””
Margaret looked at her.
“I didn't abandon him. I was forced to give him up.””
“By whom?””
“Robert.””
“That doesn't explain why you let him believe you were dead.””
Margaret looked away.
“I wanted him to have a stable life.””
I almost laughed.
“You wanted him to have a wealthy life.””
She looked directly at me.
“Both can be true.””
I sat down.
“What do you want?””
Margaret folded her hands.
“I want the original ownership records returned to the people who built the company.””
“My mother built the company.””
“Your mother built it with Robert.””
“And you think that gives you the right to steal from her daughters?””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Your mother made promises she never intended to keep.””
“What promises?””
“She promised to give Robert control of the company. Then she changed the ownership structure and left him managing assets he couldn't legally sell.””
“Because he had stolen from her.””
Margaret's eyes narrowed.
“That's what she told you?””
I leaned forward.
“That's what the records show.””
She smiled faintly.
“Then you haven't seen the original partnership agreement.””
I looked at Grace.
Margaret opened her handbag and removed a folded document.
She placed it on the table.
“This agreement was signed before Robert married Patricia. It gives Margaret Miller a twenty-percent beneficial interest in the original development company.””
I stared at the paper.
The signature appeared genuine.
But something was wrong.
The date was fourteen years earlier.
I turned the document over.
A notary stamp appeared at the bottom.
I examined it carefully.
Then I noticed the registration number.
It belonged to a notary who had retired twelve years before the document was supposedly signed.
I looked up.
“This is a forgery.””
Margaret's smile disappeared.
“You have no idea what you're talking about.””
“I know enough to recognize a false notarization.””
She reached for the document.
I held it down.
“Why did you really arrange my marriage?””
Her expression changed.
For the first time, she looked frightened.
Then she whispered:
“Because Daniel wasn't supposed to marry you.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Vanessa was supposed to marry Daniel's business partner. You were supposed to marry Daniel's older cousin.””
I stared at her.
“His cousin?””
“Robert had another son. One who was supposed to inherit the controlling interest.””
Grace leaned forward.
“Who?””
Margaret looked toward the entrance.
Then she said a name.
“Thomas Porter.””
My blood ran cold.
“Thomas isn't Robert's son.””
Margaret smiled sadly.
“Ask Elaine who Thomas's biological father really was.””
Before I could respond, two men entered the lobby.
One approached Margaret.
The other walked directly toward us.
Margaret stood.
“It's time for me to leave.””
Grace grabbed my arm.
“Don't let her go!””
But Margaret had already moved toward the exit.
I stood.
“Margaret!””
She turned once.
Her expression was almost sympathetic.
“Your mother knew the truth, Nia. That's why she kept the final document away from everyone.””
“What document?””
Margaret's smile vanished.
“The one proving that Robert Carter never owned the company at all.””
Then she disappeared through the revolving doors.
And as the second man reached our table, he placed a small envelope in front of me.
Inside was a photograph of my mother.
She was standing beside Thomas Porter.
May you like
On the back, in her handwriting, were six words:
*He is the son I never told you about.*
