Chapter 2 – The Son Who Lied in Court
Natalie ran until the Meridian tower was three blocks behind her.
She entered a crowded coffee shop, moved into the restroom, and locked herself inside a stall.
Her breathing came in short, painful bursts.
Harrison had Tyler’s phone.
That meant he knew the card was missing.
It also meant Tyler could be in danger.
Natalie called the airline, but the representative refused to provide information about passengers. She called airport security and was transferred twice before being told that Harrison and Tyler’s flight had departed twenty-six minutes earlier.
Destination: London.
After that, their itinerary was private.
Natalie leaned against the bathroom wall and closed her eyes.
Seven days earlier, Harrison had sat across from her in family court wearing a navy suit that probably cost more than her car. He had looked calm, sympathetic, and tragically reasonable.
His attorneys described Natalie as financially unstable.
They mentioned the marketing firm that had laid her off six months earlier.
They displayed photographs of the modest two-bedroom townhouse she rented after the divorce.
They compared it with Harrison’s estate, his private schools, his security, his international connections, and the opportunities he claimed only he could provide.
Natalie had expected Harrison to attack her.
She had not expected Tyler to help him.
When Judge Elaine Porter asked Tyler where he wanted to live, he looked directly at Natalie.
For one second, she saw terror in his eyes.
Then it vanished.
“My dad can give me the future I need,” Tyler said. “My mom can’t.”
The sentence tore through her.
Harrison placed a hand on Tyler’s shoulder.
And smiled.
Now Natalie replayed that moment differently.
Tyler’s stiff posture.
The way his fingers curled into his palms.
The slight tremor in his voice.
He had not looked cruel.
He had looked rehearsed.
Natalie left the coffee shop and called the only person she trusted who understood money better than Harrison did.
Maya Chen answered on the third ring.
“Natalie?”
“I need your help.”
Maya had been Natalie’s college roommate before becoming a forensic accountant. She now investigated financial fraud for corporations that preferred avoiding public scandals.
Natalie had not spoken to her in nearly a year.
“I have a bank card connected to an account with almost four million dollars,” Natalie said. “It’s in Tyler’s name.”
There was a long silence.
“Where did it come from?”
“Tyler gave it to me before leaving the country with Harrison.”
“Have you used it?”
“Only to check the balance.”
“Good. Don’t use it again.”
“That’s what the bank manager said.”
“Who else knows you have it?”
“Harrison.”
Maya exhaled slowly.
“Then we don’t have much time.”
They arranged to meet at Maya’s apartment in Arlington.
Natalie was halfway there when a police cruiser appeared behind her taxi.
Its lights flashed.
The driver pulled over.
Two officers approached.
One went to the driver.
The other opened Natalie’s door.
“Natalie Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“You need to step out of the vehicle.”
“Why?”
“We received a report that you stole a financial instrument belonging to a minor child.”
Natalie’s blood ran cold.
“Harrison called you.”
The officer’s expression did not change.
“Please step out.”
Natalie looked at the black card hidden inside her coat.
Tyler had trusted her with it.
And Harrison was already using the law to take it back.
She slowly placed one foot onto the pavement.
Then her phone vibrated again.
May you like
A new message appeared from an unknown number.
Do not give them the card.
One of the officers works for Dad.
