Chapter 5 - TWENTY-EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS
The next morning, Nathaniel took me to his study.
A thick folder sat on the desk.
My name was written across it.
ELENA MARIE HART
I stared at it.
“I've never seen this.”
“You weren't supposed to.”
He opened the folder.
Inside were legal documents.
Bank statements.
Property deeds.
Photographs.
And a letter.
I recognized my father's handwriting immediately.
My hands began shaking.
Nathaniel pushed it toward me.
I read.
Elena,
If you're reading this, then something happened to me.
I stopped.
My vision blurred.
There are people inside Blackridge who believe money makes them untouchable. They are wrong.
I discovered where they hide their stolen money.
I also discovered that they are protected by people more powerful than they appear.
I looked at Nathaniel.
“What does this mean?”
“Keep reading.”
I continued.
The trust is not simply money.
It contains ownership rights.
Shares.
Land.
Contracts.
And evidence.
My heart pounded.
Nathaniel said:
“Your father owned seven percent of Blackridge.”
I looked up.
“He was an employee.”
“On paper.”
“Why hide it?”
“Because the ownership came from your grandfather.”
I stared at him.
“My grandfather?”
“He helped establish the company.”
“But the Cross family owns Blackridge.”
“They control it.”
“That's different?”
“Very.”
I looked back at the letter.
The final paragraph was shorter.
If anyone tries to take this from you, don't trust family.
I swallowed.
My father had underlined the words.
Then:
Trust the man who arrives when everyone else is laughing.
I stared at the sentence.
My eyes slowly lifted.
Nathaniel said nothing.
“You knew about this?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Your father sent my father a copy.”
“So you've known for years.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know where you were.”
“I worked at Blackridge.”
“You were being watched.”
I froze.
“By whom?”
Nathaniel closed the folder.
“Grant Holloway.”
The Blackridge president.
The man who had welcomed me to the gala.
The man who had stood up when Nathaniel entered.
I felt sick.
“He knows?”
“He suspects.”
“And Daniel?”
“Daniel was working for him.”
I closed my eyes.
Everything made sense.
The coffee.
The messages.
The questions about my father's records.
The interest in my personal life.
Daniel had been trying to locate the trust.
But Nathaniel wasn't finished.
“There is one problem.”
“What?”
“The trust's original documents are missing.”
“Where were they?”
“With your father.”
“Then they're gone.”
“No.”
Nathaniel looked at me.
“Your father hid them.”
“Where?”
“We don't know.”
I sighed.
“Of course.”
He almost smiled.
“Your father had a sense of humor.”
I laughed despite myself.
Then the study door opened.
Daniel entered.
His face was bruised.
One arm was in a sling.
He looked at me.
“Elena.”
I stood.
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You betrayed me.”
“Yes.”
“You almost got me killed.”
His face crumpled.
“I know.”
Nathaniel stood between us.
“Tell her everything.”
Daniel nodded.
“I was hired by Grant.”
I stared.
“He told me your father had stolen money.”
“He lied.”
“I know that now.”
“When did you know?”
“Three months ago.”
“Then why continue?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Because Grant threatened my family.”
I froze.
“What family?”
“My younger sister.”
He swallowed.
“He has her.”
Silence.
Nathaniel's expression changed.
“Where?”
Daniel gave him an address.
Nathaniel immediately called his men.
I looked at Daniel.
“You should have told me.”
“I was afraid.”
“So was I.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I loved you.”
I shook my head.
“You loved what you thought I could give you.”
He didn't argue.
Nathaniel touched my shoulder.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“To get his sister.”
I looked at him.
“You're going to help Daniel?”
Nathaniel's eyes hardened.
“I don't rescue people because they deserve it.”
“Then why?”
“Because nobody gets to use innocent people as leverage.”
For the first time, I understood why people feared him.
May you like
Not because he was cruel.
Because when Nathaniel Mercer made a decision, nothing seemed capable of stopping him.
