Chapter 7: The Secret My Father Buried
Nobody spoke.
The old house felt smaller.
The walls felt like they were closing in.
My father stared at my mother.
“Elena, what are you saying?””
She looked exhausted.
“I’m saying Richard wasn’t the only person hiding something.””
My stomach twisted.
I looked at Mr. Bennett.
The man everyone admired.
The man who had just found me.
The man I had spent one day calling my father.
“You knew?””
He looked at me.
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
My mother shook her head.
“He doesn’t know everything.””
Richard laughed quietly.
“Finally. The truth is coming out.””
My father turned toward him.
“You knew about this?””
Richard smiled.
“I knew everything.””
The anger on my father’s face was terrifying.
“You manipulated both of us.””
“No.””
Richard stepped closer.
“I simply understood people better than you did.””
My mother moved toward the desk.
She opened an old drawer and pulled out a folder.
“I kept copies.””
Inside were documents.
Bank records.
Contracts.
Emails.
She handed them to me.
I looked at the papers.
I didn’t understand everything.
But I understood one thing.
A company called Bennett Foundation Holdings had received money from another organization years ago.
An organization with a name I recognized.
Cole Enterprises.
“They were partners,” my mother said.
My father looked at the documents.
His face changed.
“This isn’t possible.””
Richard smiled.
“It is.””
My father looked up.
“You hid this from me.””
“I fixed what you couldn’t.””
“You stole from me.””
Richard laughed.
“You’re still thinking like a victim.””
My mother grabbed my hand.
“Amara, listen to me.””
I looked at her.
“I never left because I didn’t love you.””
My eyes filled.
“I left because I did.””
Her voice broke.
“I spent every day away from you wishing I could go back.””
I looked down.
“All those years…”
“I know.””
She cried.
“I know what I took from you.””
The pain in her voice almost broke me.
But before I could answer, a loud noise came from outside.
Cars.
Multiple cars.
Richard looked toward the window.
His smile returned.
“They’re here.””
My father frowned.
“Who?””
Richard didn’t answer.
The front door opened.
Several men entered.
My body went cold.
My father immediately stepped in front of us.
“Who are they?””
Richard calmly adjusted his jacket.
“People who are tired of waiting.””
One of the men handed Richard a folder.
He opened it.
Inside was a document.
He smiled.
“Perfect timing.””
My father stared.
“What is that?””
Richard looked at me.
“A transfer agreement.””
My blood ran cold.
“What transfer agreement?””
He walked closer.
“Your father’s company.””
My father’s face changed.
“You can’t.””
Richard smiled.
“I already did.””
The room went silent.
My mother grabbed my arm.
“What did you do?””
Richard looked at her.
“I found the one thing David Bennett never knew existed.””
He turned toward me.
“The missing heir.””
I froze.
“What?””
Richard smiled.
“Your mother didn’t disappear with you because she was hiding you from me.””
He stepped closer.
“She was hiding you because you were the only person who could inherit everything.””
My father looked confused.
“What are you saying?””
Richard held up the document.
“Amara isn’t just your daughter.””
He looked at me.
“She’s the legal owner of the original Bennett estate.””
My heart stopped.
My father stared at me.
Then at Richard.
“That’s impossible.””
Richard smiled.
“Ask Elena why she never told you.””
My mother closed her eyes.
May you like
And that was when I knew.
There was still one more secret.
