Chapter 6: My Father's Other Son
I read the document three times.
It was a handwritten amendment to my father's original will.
The first paragraph named me as the sole controlling shareholder of Hayes Industrial Group.
The second paragraph established a separate trust.
The beneficiary was Adrian Hayes.
My half-brother.
But the final paragraph made my hands tremble.
Should Marcus ever be declared medically incapacitated or permanently unable to manage the company, Adrian shall assume temporary control until Marcus is able to resume his duties.
I looked at my mother.
“Why wasn't I told about him?””
She sat across from me.
“Because your father wanted it that way.””
“That's not an answer.””
She looked toward the fireplace.
“Your father had a relationship before he met me. Adrian was born from that relationship.””
“Who was his mother?””
“Her name was Claire Bennett.””
I searched my memory.
Nothing.
“Did Father know about him?””
“Of course. He supported the boy financially. He visited him when he could.””
I stared at the document.
“And you knew?””
She nodded.
“I knew before I married your father.””
I felt something tighten in my chest.
“So you married him knowing he had another son?””
“Marcus, adults make complicated decisions.””
“Apparently.””
She ignored my tone.
“Your father promised Claire that Adrian would always be protected. But when he built the company, he wanted you to inherit it.””
“Why?””
“Because you were his son.””
I laughed bitterly.
“And Adrian wasn't?””
She flinched.
“He was. But your father believed you had the temperament to lead.””
I looked at the photograph.
The boy was smiling.
He couldn't have been more than six.
I wondered how many birthdays my father had attended. How many holidays he had missed. How many times Adrian had watched another boy receive the life he had been denied.
“Where is he now?””
My mother hesitated.
“Alive.””
“That's helpful.””
“He lives in Chicago.””
“Does he know about the will?””
“He knows about the company.””
“Does he know about me?””
She looked directly at me.
“Yes.””
I leaned forward.
“Then why did he never contact me?””
“Because he hates you.””
The answer was so immediate that I almost didn't understand it.
“What?””
“He believes your father chose you over him.””
I looked down at the document.
“Did Father?””
My mother didn't answer.
Instead, she opened the second envelope.
Inside was a letter addressed to me.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My father's.
I had not seen it in years.
I unfolded the paper.
Marcus,
If you're reading this, something has happened that I hoped would never happen.
You may have discovered that your mother has kept certain things from you. You may also have discovered that Adrian exists.
I want you to understand that neither of you was responsible for the choices I made.
But there is something more important.
Never allow anyone to use your recovery, your health, or your love for this family against you.
I stopped reading.
My mother looked uncomfortable.
“Continue,” she said.
The next paragraph was shorter.
If anyone attempts to transfer control of the company while you are unable to protect yourself, look for the red ledger.
I raised my eyes.
“The red ledger?””
My mother went completely still.
“Where did you hear that?””
I showed her the letter.
She snatched it from my hand.
For the first time that evening, her composure broke.
“Where is the ledger?””
“I was hoping you could tell me.””
She stood up and walked toward the fireplace.
“Your father was paranoid.””
“About what?””
“He believed people were stealing from the company.””
“Were they?””
She turned.
“Your father had enemies.””
“Apparently, he also had a secret son.””
Her face tightened.
“Don't speak about things you don't understand.””
I stood.
“Then explain them.””
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then she said something I hadn't expected.
“Your father didn't die of a heart attack.””
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He was poisoned.””
I couldn't move.
My father had died at sixty-three.
The official cause was cardiac arrest following a sudden medical emergency.
I remembered the funeral. The flowers. The speeches. The executives who had cried beside his coffin.
And my mother standing alone in the front row.
“Who poisoned him?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“I tried.””
“What happened?””
She looked toward the staircase.
“Your father had been investigating financial irregularities. He told me someone close to him was stealing from the company.””
“Who?””
“I never found out.””
I stared at her.
“Was it Derrick?””
“No.””
“Thomas?””
“No.””
“Then who?””
My mother sat down again.
“I believe it was Adrian.””
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.
“You're accusing my brother of murdering our father?””
“I'm telling you what your father suspected.””
“Where is the evidence?””
She opened the third envelope.
Inside was a bank statement, several photographs, and a printed email.
The email had been sent from an account belonging to Adrian.
Father is becoming a problem. If he changes the ownership structure again, we lose everything.
The message was dated two days before my father's death.
I looked at the timestamp.
Then at my mother.
“Why do you have this?””
“Your father sent it to me the night before he died.””
“Why didn't you give it to the police?””
She lowered her voice.
“Because the email was only part of the story.””
She turned over one of the photographs.
It showed my father leaving a restaurant.
Adrian stood beside him.
But behind them was another man.
A man wearing a dark baseball cap.
I recognized him immediately.
Raymond Cole.
The truck driver.
I felt my stomach turn.
“My father met the man who caused my accident?””
My mother nodded.
“Three weeks before he died.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The connection was becoming impossible to ignore.
“Why would Adrian hire Raymond?””
My mother leaned forward.
“Because Adrian believes the company should have been his from the beginning.””
I stared at her.
“And you helped him?””
She looked down.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she whispered, “I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“I gave him access to the original will.””
I stepped backward.
“When?””
“Years ago.””
“Why?””
“Because he threatened to expose your father's relationship with Claire. He said he would destroy the family if I didn't help him.””
I laughed once.
“Destroy the family? Mother, he apparently tried to destroy me.””
She reached for my hand.
I pulled away.
“Marcus, listen to me. I thought I could control him.””
“Just like Vanessa thought she could control Derrick?””
Her eyes filled.
“I never wanted you hurt.””
“Yet here we are.””
I turned toward the door.
She stood quickly.
“Wait!””
I stopped.
She pointed toward the wooden box.
“There's one more thing.””
I looked back.
She reached beneath the lining and removed a small brass key.
“Your father hid the red ledger in the old factory.””
“Which factory?””
“The original one. The building where he started the company.””
I took the key.
“What does it contain?””
She swallowed.
“Names, payments, signatures. Everything your father discovered before he died.””
I looked at her.
“And why didn't you retrieve it?””
“Because someone else has been looking for it.””
My phone vibrated.
Daniel.
I answered immediately.
“What's wrong?””
His voice sounded strained.
“Marcus, you need to leave that house.””
“Why?””
“We just received information from the police. Someone accessed the original factory using your father's old security code.””
I glanced at my mother.
“Who?””
Daniel paused.
Then he said, “Your brother.””
A second later, another message arrived.
It contained a photograph of the factory entrance.
Adrian was standing outside.
But he wasn't alone.
May you like
Beside him was Vanessa.
And she was holding a gun.
