Chapter 3: The Call Diane Never Expected
By the time I reached downtown Chicago, the afternoon sunlight had begun to soften.
The city looked different from behind the windshield of the Phantom. The glass towers caught the last gold of the day, and the river reflected long ribbons of light between the buildings.
My father's office occupied the upper floors of a private building overlooking the river.
I had visited hundreds of times as a child.
But walking through those doors as an adult always reminded me how much of his world I had deliberately kept separate from mine.
The receptionist stood as I entered.
“Good afternoon, Miss Bennett.””
“Hi, Elise.””
“Your father is expecting you.””
She glanced toward the conference room.
“He also has a guest.””
I stopped.
“Who?””
Elise hesitated.
“Mr. Ryan Bennett.””
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I laughed once.
Not because anything was funny.
Because apparently the universe had decided I hadn't had enough of the Bennett family for one Thanksgiving.
“Is he alone?””
“Yes.””
I looked toward the frosted glass doors.
“Did he say why he was here?””
“He said it was personal.””
I set my handbag on my shoulder.
“Of course he did.””
Elise lowered her voice.
“Your father asked me not to let him leave without speaking to him.””
I nodded.
“Thank you.””
I didn't enter the conference room immediately.
Instead, I walked down the corridor toward my father's private office.
The door was open.
He stood beside the windows with his back to me, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a glass of water.
He wore a charcoal suit, his silver hair neatly combed.
He turned when he heard me.
And his expression changed.
Not dramatically.
He simply put down the glass and opened his arms.
I crossed the room and hugged him.
For a few seconds, I was twenty-four years old again, standing in the kitchen after a bad day at school, certain that nothing in the world could go wrong while he was there.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“Hi, Dad.””
He held me at arm's length.
“Let me see your face.””
I tried to smile.
He didn't believe it.
“Was it that bad?””
I glanced down.
“I was embarrassed.””
His expression tightened.
“Because of what they said?””
“Because Ryan watched.””
My father nodded slowly.
He didn't rush to defend Ryan or insult him.
That was one of the things I appreciated most about him.
He listened before speaking.
“Do you still love him?””
The question caught me off guard.
“I don't know.””
“That's an honest answer.””
He moved toward his desk.
“Sit down.””
I did.
He opened a drawer and removed a small photograph.
It showed me as a little girl, standing beside a much younger version of him in front of a lake house. I was wearing a yellow raincoat and holding a fishing rod almost as tall as I was.
“You used to tell me you wanted to be ordinary,” he said.
“I did.””
“You said you wanted to buy your own clothes, get your own job, and never have anyone treat you differently because of our family.””
I smiled faintly.
“I remember.””
He placed the photograph on the desk.
“I tried to give you that freedom.””
“You did.””
“But I never wanted you to confuse independence with allowing people to humiliate you.””
I looked at him.
“I didn't want to use your name.””
“You haven't.””
He leaned back.
“And you don't have to start now.””
A knock interrupted us.
Elise appeared at the doorway.
“I'm sorry. Mr. Bennett is asking whether he can speak with you.””
My father looked at me.
“Do you want him here?””
I took a slow breath.
“Yes.””
Elise nodded and disappeared.
A moment later, Ryan walked into the office.
He stopped when he saw me.
“Maya.””
I didn't stand.
“Ryan.””
His eyes moved toward my father.
“Sir.””
My father gestured to the chair across from us.
“Please sit.””
Ryan remained standing.
“I wanted to speak to Maya privately.””
My father folded his hands.
“You had a private opportunity at my daughter's expense earlier today. You chose not to use it.””
Ryan's face reddened.
“I know. I made a mistake.””
“Several, apparently.””
“Sir, I love her.””
My father looked at me.
I didn't respond.
Ryan turned toward me.
“Maya, I swear I didn't know my mother would do something like that. I never wanted you to feel unwelcome.””
“You watched her throw my pie.””
“I froze.””
“You laughed when Vanessa laughed.””
His eyes dropped.
“I didn't laugh.””
“You didn't stop her, either.””
Ryan dragged a hand through his hair.
“I know.””
The room fell quiet.
Then he pulled out his phone.
“There's another reason I came here.””
I watched him.
“Of course there is.””
He looked embarrassed.
“My mother has been trying to arrange a meeting with your father.””
I glanced at my father.
He remained expressionless.
Ryan continued.
“She told me the Bennett development needed a major investment. She said she'd spoken to people connected to your family.””
“Did you know about that before today?”” I asked.
Ryan hesitated.
“Not about your family specifically.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
He swallowed.
“Yes. I knew she was looking for investors.””
“And you never thought to mention it?””
“I didn't know it was connected to you.””
I stared at him.
“Ryan, my father is the one person in this entire world you have never asked me about.””
His eyebrows pulled together.
“You never told me much about him.””
“I told you he worked in business.””
“You made it sound like he was some ordinary businessman.””
I let out a short breath.
“I never said he was ordinary.””
Ryan looked toward my father.
“Then who is he?””
My father gave him a measured look.
“Does the answer change how you treat my daughter?””
Ryan opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I stood.
“I think we're finished.””
Ryan stepped toward me.
“Maya, please. Don't let one terrible afternoon destroy everything we've built.””
I looked down at his phone.
“Did you come here because you miss me, or because your family's investment meeting was postponed?””
His silence answered before he did.
“Maya—”
“Which one?””
He looked away.
My father stood too.
“Mr. Bennett, I suggest you return home.””
Ryan's jaw tightened.
“I wasn't speaking to you.””
My father's expression didn't change.
“You're in my office, speaking about my daughter. You are speaking to me.””
Ryan slowly nodded.
“Fine.””
He turned toward me.
“I hope you understand what you're walking away from.””
I stared at him.
For the first time, I didn't feel nervous about losing him.
“I do.””
He left.
The door closed softly behind him.
I sat down again.
My father returned to his desk and looked at a folder waiting beside his computer.
“There's something else,” he said.
I looked up.
“What?””
He turned the folder so I could see it.
The top page carried the Bennett family's company name.
Below it was a list of financing requests, proposed guarantees, and several pages of financial disclosures.
I stared at the amount listed near the bottom.
“That's a lot of money.””
“Yes.””
“Why would they need that much?””
“The development is larger than they can comfortably finance themselves.””
He slid another document toward me.
It was an ownership chart.
Several company names were arranged in neat boxes, connected by lines and percentages.
Near the bottom, one name had been highlighted.
*BENNETT FAMILY HOLDINGS.*
My father tapped the page.
“They have approached several groups over the past six months. Most declined after reviewing the numbers.””
“Why?””
He turned to the next sheet.
“Because the project has problems they haven't disclosed to their prospective investors.””
I leaned forward.
“What kind of problems?””
“Unpaid contractors. An outstanding loan. A property dispute. And a personal guarantee signed by Diane Bennett.””
I looked up.
“Ryan's mother?””
“Yes.””
I stared at the papers.
“Why would she risk everything?””
“Because she's convinced the development will make her family wealthy again.””
I felt a strange chill.
“Again?””
My father studied my face.
“Did Diane mention her late husband?””
“No. Not really.””
He sat opposite me.
“Your boyfriend's father and I had some dealings years ago.””
“What kind of dealings?””
“Business dealings.””
He paused.
“Some of them ended badly.””
I looked at the ownership chart again.
“Does that have something to do with the way she reacted to my car?””
“Possibly.””
He reached into the folder and removed a printed photograph.
It showed a silver crest mounted on the wall of an elegant office.
The exact crest displayed on my car.
I recognized the design immediately.
My father placed the photograph beside it.
“Diane has seen this before,” he said.
I looked at him.
“Where?””
“In her husband's private office.””
My stomach tightened.
“What was my father doing in her husband's office?””
My father didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to the final page of the folder.
It was an old agreement, dated eleven years earlier.
There were two signatures at the bottom.
One belonged to my father.
The other belonged to Richard Bennett.
Ryan's late father.
But it wasn't the signatures that caught my attention.
It was the clause printed beneath them.
*In the event of default, all controlling interests and voting rights shall transfer to the designated holding company.*
I read it once.
Then again.
“Dad?””
He looked at me.
“Why is our family connected to the Bennett business?””
He slowly closed the folder.
“Because your father and Richard Bennett made an agreement that Diane has spent eleven years trying to forget.””
Before I could ask another question, his office phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Then he answered.
“Yes?””
I watched his expression change as he listened.
He said nothing for several seconds.
Finally, he replied, “I see.””
He ended the call and looked at me.
“What happened?””
My father turned his monitor toward me.
A new email had arrived.
The sender was Diane Bennett.
The subject line read:
*URGENT — REGARDING THE BENNETT AGREEMENT.*
There was only one sentence in the body.
I know Maya is your daughter, and I know what Richard promised you.
My father stared at the screen.
Then he looked at me.
“Sweetheart,” he said quietly, “I think it's time you knew why Diane Bennett is so afraid of our family.””
I leaned closer.
He opened the attachment.
May you like
And the first line of the document made my blood run cold.
*THE BENNETT FAMILY'S CONTROLLING SHARES ARE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE TRANSFER UPON PRESENTATION OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.*
