Chapter 6: The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Bryce was waiting outside the school when we returned from the library.
He leaned against his black sports car, wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy sky.
When he saw me, he straightened.
“Well, look who decided to visit her future kingdom.””
I walked past him.
He stepped into my path.
“Where's the old man?””
“Don't call my father that.””
Bryce laughed.
“Sorry. Mr. Mercer.””
He said the name with deliberate sarcasm.
Richard stepped out of the building behind us.
“Bryce.””
His son removed his sunglasses.
“Dad.””
“What are you doing here?””
“Waiting for you.””
“You could have called.””
“I did. You didn't answer.””
Richard glanced at me.
“Give us a moment.””
I crossed my arms.
“No.””
Bryce grinned.
“Still playing the victim?””
I stepped closer.
“Why did you send me that photograph?””
His smile vanished.
“What photograph?””
“The warehouse. The clock. The message.””
Richard looked at his son.
“Bryce, what is she talking about?””
Bryce shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I have no idea.””
I pulled out my phone and showed him the message.
He looked at it for a second too long.
Then he laughed.
“Anyone could have sent that.””
“Your father said you asked about the security archive.””
Bryce turned toward Richard.
“Seriously?””
Richard's voice hardened.
“Answer the question.””
Bryce shook his head.
“You people are unbelievable. All these years, you let Daniel play the poor hero, and now suddenly we're supposed to believe he's some kind of saint?””
My father stepped forward.
“Bryce, I never asked you to respect me.””
“Exactly. You never asked for anything. You just cleaned the bathrooms and made everyone feel sorry for you.””
I saw my father's jaw tighten.
Bryce continued.
“And now you want to take everything my family built?””
My father looked at him calmly.
“Your family didn't build it alone.””
“Whatever.””
Bryce turned to Richard.
“Dad, tell her the truth.””
Richard frowned.
“What truth?””
Bryce pulled a folded document from his jacket.
“Grandfather's agreement.””
He handed it to me.
I unfolded it.
It was a copy of the original succession contract Richard had shown us.
But this version contained an additional page.
The heading read:
*IRREVOCABLE BENEFICIARY PROTECTION AGREEMENT.*
I scanned the text.
The document stated that the Whitmore family would retain voting control over the foundation if the Mercer family ever challenged the original settlement.
At the bottom were three signatures.
Arthur Whitmore.
Richard Whitmore.
And Daniel Mercer.
I stared at my father.
“You signed this?””
He shook his head.
“Not that page.””
Bryce laughed.
“Convenient.””
My father examined the document.
His eyes narrowed.
“This is a forgery.””
Bryce's expression changed.
“Excuse me?””
“The signature is mine, but the date is wrong. I never signed this page.””
Richard took the document.
He studied it.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the legal office.””
“Which legal office?””
Bryce hesitated.
“Margaret gave it to me.””
Richard looked furious.
“Why would Margaret give you a confidential agreement?””
Bryce shrugged.
“Because she knows what's coming.””
I stepped toward him.
“What does she want?””
Bryce looked directly at me.
“She wants the trust protected.””
“From whom?””
“From people who abandoned it.””
My father gave a bitter laugh.
“People who abandoned it?””
Bryce pointed at him.
“You left, Daniel. You walked away from the company. You let Dad take over.
You let the school become what it is. And now you want to come back because there's money involved.””
My father didn't raise his voice.
“I left because your grandfather was stealing from children.””
Bryce scoffed.
“Prove it.””
“I intend to.””
Bryce looked at Richard.
“Dad, tell him what happens if he challenges the agreement.””
Richard said nothing.
Bryce smiled.
“The board can freeze the trust until the dispute is resolved. That means no scholarships, no new funding, no changes. Everything stops.””
My stomach tightened.
“How long?””
“Years, maybe.””
He turned toward me.
“Do you really want hundreds of students losing their scholarships because your father can't accept that he lost?””
For the first time, I understood what Bryce was doing.
He wasn't simply trying to insult us.
He was trying to make me feel guilty for asking questions.
My father reached for the document.
“Give it back.””
Bryce pulled it away.
“Not until you agree to leave the trust alone.””
Richard stepped between them.
“Enough, Bryce.””
His son stared at him.
“You're choosing them?””
Richard's face hardened.
“I'm choosing the truth.””
Bryce laughed bitterly.
“Then you'll regret it.””
He walked toward his car.
Before opening the door, he turned back.
“One more thing, Sophie.””
I looked at him.
“Tomorrow's board meeting won't go the way you think.””
He opened the driver's door.
“Ask your father why he never told you that your mother had another child.””
The car engine started.
Then he drove away.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
I turned slowly toward my father.
“What did he mean?””
My father looked at Richard.
Richard's face had lost all color.
“Daniel,” he whispered.
“You never told her?””
My father closed his eyes.
“It's not true.””
Richard looked at him.
“Are you certain?””
My father's voice trembled.
“Elizabeth was pregnant before the accident. We lost the baby.””
Richard shook his head.
“No.””
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a photograph.
It showed my mother sitting in a hospital bed, holding a newborn baby.
A handwritten date appeared in the corner.
The date was six months before my mother's death.
I stared at the photograph.
There was a second child.
A little boy.
And behind the photograph was a hospital bracelet.
*BABY BOY — MERCER.*
I looked at my father.
“Who is he?””
My father took the photograph with shaking hands.
“I don't know,” he whispered.
Richard swallowed.
“Daniel, I think Elizabeth gave birth to a son.””
My heart began pounding.
“Where is he?””
Neither man answered.
Then Richard's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
The caller's name was Margaret Collins.
He answered.
“Margaret?””
A woman's voice came through, loud enough for me to hear.
“Richard, we have a problem.””
“What happened?””
“The board has received a new legal claim against the Mercer trust.””
“From whom?””
There was a pause.
Then Margaret spoke.
“From someone claiming to be Elizabeth Mercer's surviving son.””
I grabbed my father's arm.
Richard slowly lowered the phone.
May you like
And my father whispered the words that changed everything.
“That's impossible. I watched them bury him.””
