Chapter 5: The Agreement Signed Before I Met Him
I stared at the photograph.
My father was standing outside a glass office building, wearing the navy suit he had bought for my graduation.
Beside him stood a much younger Tyler.
My husband.
The man I had met at a charity fundraiser nearly two years after my father's death.
I looked up.
“Why are you in this photograph?””
Tyler didn't answer immediately.
Eleanor reached for the folder.
“May I?””
I handed it to her.
She studied the image.
Then she examined the document beneath it.
“Where did you obtain this?””
Tyler crossed his arms.
“From the original company archive.””
“Who gave it to you?””
“That doesn't matter.””
“It matters considerably.””
Tyler ignored her.
He turned toward me.
“Vanessa, there's a lot you don't know about your father.””
My heart began beating faster.
“What are you talking about?””
“He wasn't the man you think he was.””
I shook my head.
“Don't.””
“Your father had business problems. Serious ones.””
“My father built his company from nothing.””
“And he made mistakes.””
Eleanor interrupted.
“Mr. Reed, if you have evidence of financial misconduct, you should provide it through the appropriate legal channels. Accusations are not evidence.””
Tyler laughed.
“Of course you'd say that.””
He turned back to me.
“Your father promised me a position in the company.””
I stared at him.
“You never met my father.””
“That's what you believe.””
The room fell silent.
Tyler opened the folder and removed another photograph.
This one showed my father sitting at a restaurant table.
Tyler was beside him.
They were shaking hands.
I looked at the date.
It was real.
Six months before my father died.
My fingers went numb.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Tyler sighed.
“Because I didn't want our relationship to begin with a complicated business history.””
I almost laughed.
“Complicated?””
“He was looking for someone to manage a new investment division. I was introduced through a mutual contact. We discussed a partnership.””
“Did you know who I was when we met?””
Tyler hesitated.
That hesitation told me more than his answer could have.
“Tyler?””
He looked away.
“Yes.””
My mother stood abruptly.
“You knew?””
Tyler raised his hands.
“Please. Don't turn this into something it isn't.””
My mother pointed at him.
“You deliberately approached my daughter?””
“I fell in love with her.””
“After researching her father's company?””
“That's not what happened.””
Eleanor quietly examined the photographs.
Then she looked at Tyler.
“Do you have the original agreement?””
Tyler nodded.
“I have a copy.””
“Where?””
“Safe.””
“Then provide it.””
He smiled faintly.
“Not until Vanessa agrees to hear me out.””
I looked at him.
“You came into my life knowing my father had a company worth millions?””
“I came into your life because I liked you.””
“Did you know I was the beneficiary?””
“Yes.””
The answer landed heavily.
My mother made a small sound.
I felt as though the floor had shifted beneath me.
“How long were you planning this?””
Tyler looked frustrated.
“Vanessa, you're making this sound like some elaborate conspiracy.””
“Then tell me what it is!””
He lowered his voice.
“Your father and I had an understanding. He wanted someone he could trust to manage the business if you ever needed help. I was supposed to be that person.””
Eleanor looked up sharply.
“Your father never appointed you as a trustee.””
“Not officially.””
“Then you had no authority.””
“He intended to change that.””
“Do you have written evidence?””
Tyler's expression tightened.
He reached for the folder.
“Forget it.””
Eleanor kept her hand on the documents.
“No.””
He looked at her.
“What?””
“You brought these papers into this house. They are now part of the discussion. You cannot selectively reveal documents and then demand that everyone accept your interpretation.””
Tyler looked furious.
For a moment, I saw the man who had stood at the waterfront and told me he had never promised to be faithful.
The man who had watched me struggle with two newborn babies.
The man who believed I would eventually stop asking questions.
Then he turned toward me.
“Vanessa, think about the girls.””
I stiffened.
“Don't use them.””
“I'm their father.””
“Then you should have acted like one.””
His face darkened.
“I'm trying to protect their future.””
I pointed toward the laptop.
“By using my signature?””
He didn't answer.
“By taking money from another man's wife?””
Still nothing.
“By discussing how busy I'd be with the babies while you moved money around?””
Tyler looked at the screen.
He knew.
He knew I'd found the emails.
His voice became quieter.
“Who showed you those?””
“Does it matter?””
“Was it Michael?””
I didn't answer.
Tyler laughed bitterly.
“Of course. He's been manipulating you.””
Eleanor closed the folder.
“Mr. Reed, I strongly advise you to leave.””
Tyler ignored her.
He approached me.
“Vanessa, listen carefully. Michael isn't helping you because he cares about your family. He's trying to destroy Sloane, and he'll use you to do it.””
I looked at him.
“And what are you trying to do?””
He stopped.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
I saw the name.
SLOANE.
He declined the call.
It rang again.
This time he answered.
“What?””
I watched his expression change.
“What do you mean?””
A pause.
Then:
“No. That's impossible.””
He turned away.
“Did Michael send it?””
Another pause.
His face went pale.
“Don't sign anything.””
He ended the call.
I folded my arms.
“What happened?””
“Nothing.””
“Tyler.””
He grabbed the folder.
“I have to go.””
“You haven't explained the documents.””
“I'll come back.””
Eleanor stood.
“Please communicate through counsel from now on.””
Tyler glared at her.
Then he looked at me.
“You're making a very serious mistake.””
I didn't move.
He walked toward the door.
But just before leaving, he turned.
“Ask your mother what happened the night your father died.””
My mother froze.
I looked at her.
“What?””
Tyler smiled.
It was the first genuine smile I'd seen from him all morning.
“Ask her why your father was so desperate to change his will during his final week.””
Then he walked out.
The door closed.
I turned toward my mother.
“Mom?””
She stared at the floor.
“What did he mean?””
She didn't answer.
I took a step closer.
“Mom, did Dad change his will?””
Her eyes filled.
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because he asked me not to.””
“Why?””
She looked toward the window.
“Your father had discovered that someone close to him was stealing from the company.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
“Was it Tyler?””
She shook her head.
“Tyler wasn't the only person your father suspected.””
I felt my heart pounding.
“What happened during his final week?””
My mother sat down slowly.
“Your father called me from his office. He said he had found evidence of a plan to take control of the company.””
“Who was involved?””
“He wouldn't tell me over the phone.””
“And then?””
“He came home late that night. He was frightened, Vanessa. I'd never seen him like that.””
I swallowed.
“Why?””
“He said someone had access to his private files. Someone who knew about the trust.””
My mother began crying.
“He made me promise to protect you. He said that if anything happened to him, I must never let anyone convince you to sign away your inheritance.””
I felt a cold wave move through me.
“Did he know he was going to die?””
“No. He thought he had time.””
“Then what happened?””
My mother covered her face.
“Three days later, he collapsed at the office.””
I sat beside her.
“Mom…”
“The doctors said it was a heart attack. But before he died, he asked me to make one final call.””
“Who?””
She reached into her handbag.
This time, she removed a small photograph.
It showed my father standing beside a woman I didn't recognize.
On the back was a handwritten note.
If Vanessa ever needs the truth, find Rebecca Shaw.
I stared at the name.
“Who is Rebecca?””
My mother shook her head.
“I don't know. Your father never explained.””
My phone vibrated.
An incoming message.
Unknown number.
Vanessa, this is Rebecca Shaw. I worked for your father. I have something he wanted you to receive.
A second message followed.
And I think you should know that Tyler Reed was not the only person involved in the original plan.
Then a final message appeared.
Your mother knows who signed the first document.
I slowly looked up.
May you like
My mother was already staring at me.
And the expression on her face told me that Rebecca wasn't mistaken.
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