Chapter 10: The Daughter Nobody Knew About
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
I stood in my study, holding the phone against my ear, while Daniel stared at me as if he had just watched the floor disappear beneath his feet.
“Ms. Brooks,” I finally managed, “are you telling me Brielle is my father's daughter?””
“Yes, Mr. Carter.””
“And Diane knew?””
“I believe she suspected it. But your father made sure very few people knew the entire story.””
I looked toward the doorway.
Diane was standing there.
She had heard enough to understand.
Her face was completely white.
“Who are you talking to?”” she asked.
I ignored her.
“Evelyn, I need you to tell me everything.””
She sighed.
“Your father had a relationship with Brielle's mother, Patricia, many years before his death. Patricia worked in his office. When she became pregnant, he arranged financial support for her and the child.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why didn't he tell us?””
“Because your father was afraid of destroying his marriage. Your mother never knew the truth.””
Daniel pulled out a chair and sat down.
I continued.
“Why was the money hidden?””
“Your father established a private account for Brielle. He wanted her to have financial security without making her feel obligated to become part of the Carter family.””
“And the account?””
“It's still active. The balance is approximately sixty-two million dollars, including investments and accumulated returns.””
Daniel's head snapped up.
“Sixty-two million?””
I raised one hand.
“Let her finish.””
Evelyn continued.
“Your father also included a condition. Brielle would receive control of the account when she reached thirty-five, provided she had not participated in any attempt to obtain Carter Logistics through fraud or coercion.””
I slowly lowered the phone.
Brielle was thirty-one.
She had four years before she could access the money.
But she had already tried to take control of my company.
I looked at the photograph again.
My father.
Patricia.
A baby.
Suddenly, I understood why Brielle had always been treated differently by Diane.
Why she had been welcomed into our home.
Why Diane had defended her even when she humiliated me.
But one question remained.
“Evelyn,” I said, “you mentioned Patricia didn't die naturally.””
The woman on the other end became quiet.
Then she spoke.
“Patricia died in a car accident.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What year?””
“Twenty-four years ago.””
“Was anyone else involved?””
“Your father believed someone had tampered with her medication before she drove.””
I gripped the desk.
“Who?””
“I don't know. But shortly before she died, Patricia told your father she had discovered something about the family finances.””
“What did she discover?””
“She believed someone was stealing money from the company.””
I looked toward Daniel.
His expression had changed.
“Who was stealing?”” I asked.
Evelyn took a breath.
“Andrew.””
The room became silent.
My younger brother.
Again.
“Are you certain?””
“I saw the original accounting records. Andrew had been using company accounts for personal expenses even before you removed him from the business.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Your father asked me not to. He believed Andrew was being manipulated by someone else.””
“Who?””
Evelyn hesitated.
Then she said, “Richard Hale.””
I felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat.
Richard.
The attorney who had helped my father establish the trust.
The attorney who had forged documents with my wife and niece.
The attorney who had visited me in the hospital.
It seemed he had been involved in our family's darkest secrets for decades.
“Evelyn, where are you?””
“I'm at my home in Savannah.””
“I want to meet you.””
“Tomorrow morning.””
“Tonight.””
She paused.
“Mr. Carter, I need to warn you. Someone has already been here.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
“Two men came yesterday. They asked about your father's records. They knew my name and where I lived.””
“Did you recognize them?””
“One of them was Andrew.””
I looked at Thomas.
He was already reaching for his phone.
“Evelyn, listen to me. Don't open your door for anyone. We're coming to you.””
“There's something else you need to know.””
“What?””
“Your father left a sealed letter for you. He instructed me to deliver it only if you ever discovered the truth about Brielle.””
I stared at the photograph.
“Do you have it?””
“Yes.””
“Keep it safe.””
“I have.””
The call ended.
Daniel stood.
“Dad, this is insane.””
I looked at him.
“I'm beginning to agree.””
He walked toward the window.
“Brielle is Grandpa's daughter. That means she's our aunt?””
“Technically, yes.””
He shook his head.
“She spent years calling you Uncle Marcus.””
I looked down.
“And I believed she was simply family.””
Daniel turned.
“Do you think she knew?””
I didn't answer immediately.
Then I remembered the way Brielle had looked at me in the hospital.
The flowers she had brought.
The nervous expression whenever someone mentioned my father.
I remembered her humiliating me in front of sixty relatives.
Perhaps she had spent her entire life believing I had stolen something that belonged to her.
But that didn't excuse what she had done.
Nothing could.
Thomas entered the study.
“Sir, the police have confirmed Andrew was released pending further investigation. They're still reviewing the financial evidence.””
“Where is he now?””
“We don't know.””
“Find out.””
Thomas nodded.
Then he looked at the photograph.
“Is that Brielle's mother?””
I nodded.
He studied it carefully.
“Mr. Carter, there's something strange about this.””
“What?””
“Your father was wearing a ring in this photograph.””
I looked closer.
A gold signet ring.
Our father had worn it every day until he died.
Thomas pointed toward the woman's hand.
“She was wearing the same one.””
I stared.
The ring was identical.
Our father's initials were engraved on the front.
I felt my stomach turn.
“Why would Patricia have his ring?””
Thomas shrugged.
“Maybe he gave it to her.””
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Dad, turn it over.””
I did.
There was a second line beneath the handwritten note.
It was faded, almost invisible.
I tilted it toward the desk lamp.
The words became clear.
If anything happens to me, tell Marcus about the hospital.
I looked at Thomas.
“What hospital?””
Before he could answer, my phone vibrated.
A text message from an unknown number.
*UNKNOWN:* Stop asking about Patricia.
Another message followed.
*UNKNOWN:* Your father wasn't the only one who knew what happened that night.
Then a photograph arrived.
It showed Brielle standing outside a hospital room.
The date in the corner was twenty-four years earlier.
May you like
And beside her stood a man I recognized immediately.
Richard Hale.
