Chapter 12 - MARGARET’S FIRST SON
Richard stared at the photograph for nearly a minute.
He searched the stranger’s face for Margaret.
Then he found her everywhere.
The shape of the eyes.
The curve of the mouth.
The slight tilt of the head.
Ethan sat beside him.
“That’s my brother.”
Richard could not answer.
Thomas corrected quietly.
“Half-brother.”
Ethan looked at him.
“That distinction doesn’t matter right now.”
Thomas nodded.
Richard finally spoke.
“What is his name?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Jonathan Hale.”
Richard looked at him.
“You know him?”
“I know of him.”
“You said you didn’t know where he was.”
“I didn’t.”
“But you knew his name.”
“Yes.”
Richard stood.
“How much else are you planning to reveal one sentence at a time?”
Thomas flinched.
Richard’s anger erupted.
“You let me mourn you for fourteen years.”
“You let Margaret die without telling me what happened.”
“You knew about Martin.”
“You knew about Mason.”
“You knew about Ethan’s daughter.”
“And now you tell me my wife had a son with my brother.”
Thomas remained silent.
Richard stepped closer.
“Tell me everything now.”
Thomas nodded.
“Jonathan was born fifty-six years ago.”
“Margaret was nineteen.”
“Martin was twenty.”
“Both families panicked.”
“Margaret’s parents arranged the adoption.”
“Martin wanted to keep the child.”
Richard stared.
“Margaret didn’t?”
Thomas shook his head.
“She was frightened.”
“She had no money.”
“No career.”
“And her parents threatened to cut her off.”
Richard looked toward the photograph.
“Did she ever see him again?”
“Once.”
“When?”
“When Jonathan was thirty.”
“Before she got sick?”
“Yes.”
“Did Martin know?”
“I don’t think so.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“Apparently Martin knows everything.”
Thomas continued.
“Margaret told Jonathan who she was.”
“Did she tell him about Martin?”
“Yes.”
“Did she tell him about me?”
“Yes.”
Richard looked toward the floor.
“How did he react?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Poorly.”
Ethan frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“He believed Margaret had abandoned him to build a wealthy life.”
Richard felt a new dread.
“Did Mason find him?”
Thomas nodded.
“Eventually.”
“When?”
“About ten years ago.”
Richard’s expression sharpened.
“After Margaret died.”
“Yes.”
“Mason used him.”
“Yes.”
Richard looked toward the photograph again.
Jonathan might be victim.
Or accomplice.
Or both.
Exactly like Sophia.
Ethan checked the time.
“One hour forty minutes.”
Richard nodded.
“We go to Whitmore Tower.”
Thomas stared.
“That is what Martin wants.”
“Natalie is there.”
“And Daniel.”
Richard looked at him.
“I know.”
Ethan stood.
“I’m going.”
Richard did not argue.
Police prepared a response around Whitmore Tower.
But Martin had chosen the location carefully.
The executive floors contained private access elevators.
Underground exits.
Service tunnels connecting two neighboring buildings.
Richard knew every one.
So did Martin.
At 10:21 p.m., Richard, Ethan, and Thomas entered the main lobby.
The building was nearly empty.
A security guard approached.
Richard recognized him.
Then the guard raised his sleeve.
Three black lines crossing a circle.
The same symbol Mason carried.
Richard stopped.
The guard smiled.
“Phones.”
Ethan swore.
Richard handed his over.
They entered the private elevator.
Floor fifty-four.
The boardroom doors opened.
Natalie sat at the far end.
Daniel stood beside her.
Neither appeared hurt.
Pierce guarded them.
Martin stood beside the windows.
His shoulder was bandaged.
Mason stood near the conference table.
Sophia was there too.
And beside her stood Jonathan Hale.
Richard forgot everyone else.
Jonathan stared at him.
Neither spoke.
Then Jonathan looked toward Ethan.
“So you’re Margaret’s second son.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“Apparently.”
Jonathan smiled faintly.
“Same sense of humor.”
Richard stepped forward.
Jonathan’s eyes moved toward him.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”
Richard swallowed.
“I wish the circumstances were different.”
Jonathan laughed.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Would you have welcomed me?”
Richard answered immediately.
“If Margaret had told me who you were, yes.”
Jonathan’s smile vanished.
“That is easy to say now.”
“It is still true.”
“You married her.”
“Yes.”
“You raised her children.”
“Yes.”
“You gave them everything.”
Richard looked at him.
“I did not know you existed.”
Jonathan’s face hardened.
“But she did.”
Richard did not defend Margaret.
That surprised Jonathan.
Richard simply said.
“Yes.”
Jonathan stared.
“She left me.”
“Yes.”
“She never came back.”
Richard’s voice softened.
“I cannot defend choices I did not know she made.”
Jonathan looked unsettled.
Martin interrupted.
“Enough therapy.”
Jonathan’s expression hardened again.
Richard looked toward Martin.
“Let Natalie and Daniel go.”
Martin shook his head.
“After the trust opens.”
Ethan looked at Sophia.
She would not meet his eyes.
Then he noticed something.
A bruise marked her wrist.
Mason saw him looking.
“She tried to leave.”
Ethan’s face became cold.
Sophia whispered.
“I’m fine.”
Ethan said nothing.
Mason opened a metal case.
Inside were the original Kline authorization.
The silver bank key.
Several old ledgers.
And a portable biometric reader.
Richard stared.
“You have the original.”
Mason smiled.
“Sophia was more useful than I suggested.”
Sophia looked disgusted.
Mason continued.
“She removed it from your safe three weeks ago.”
Ethan looked at her.
She did not deny it.
Mason placed the document before Richard.
Margaret’s signature was visible.
So was Victor’s.
Thomas stepped closer.
Mason pointed a gun toward him.
“Stay.”
Thomas stopped.
Richard examined the back.
Several handwritten numbers appeared.
He recognized Margaret’s writing.
Account-routing notes.
A dormant Whitmore subsidiary.
Wellington Resource Management.
Richard whispered.
“She did use our company.”
Martin smiled.
“One of mine.”
Richard turned.
“You controlled Wellington.”
“Yes.”
“So Thomas was right.”
Martin shrugged.
“I moved money through it.”
“Without authorization.”
“I had authorization.”
“From whom?”
Martin looked toward Mason.
Richard understood.
Forged approvals.
Fake client signatures.
Years of hidden transfers.
Jonathan watched silently.
Richard looked toward him.
“Did you know this?”
Jonathan’s jaw tightened.
“Know what?”
“That Martin helped steal the money.”
Martin interrupted.
“He knows enough.”
Jonathan looked at him.
Richard caught the reaction.
Uncertainty.
Jonathan did not know everything.
Richard continued.
“Did Martin tell you Victor Kline was guilty?”
Jonathan glanced at Mason.
Mason’s expression changed.
Richard pressed.
“Did he tell you Sophia’s father participated willingly?”
Sophia looked toward Jonathan.
Martin snapped.
“Richard.”
Richard ignored him.
“Did they tell you Margaret moved the money because she discovered they were stealing it?”
Jonathan frowned.
Mason said.
“Don’t listen.”
Richard laughed.
“Interesting.”
He looked at Jonathan.
“They invited you here as family until the moment I started telling you facts.”
Jonathan stared.
Martin stepped closer.
“You want facts?”
He pointed toward Richard.
“This man inherited everything Margaret denied you.”
Richard shook his head.
“I inherited nothing from Margaret except memories.”
Martin laughed.
“The estate.”
“Was mine before we married.”
“The foundation.”
“Created by both of us.”
“The mansion.”
“Bought with Whitmore money.”
Martin’s jaw tightened.
Richard looked at Jonathan.
“Margaret did not steal your inheritance.”
“She failed you in another way.”
Jonathan’s eyes filled.
That admission affected him.
Richard continued.
“She should have told me about you.”
“She should have found you earlier.”
“She should have faced what happened.”
“But none of that makes Mason innocent.”
Mason slammed his hand on the table.
“Enough.”
Everyone looked at him.
Mason connected the biometric reader.
“Ethan.”
Ethan did not move.
“Come here.”
“No.”
Pierce moved behind Natalie.
Ethan’s expression changed.
Mason smiled.
“Come here.”
Ethan approached.
Mason placed a document in front of him.
“Authorize the trust release.”
Ethan looked at it.
“No.”
Mason nodded toward Pierce.
Pierce grabbed Daniel.
Natalie shouted.
Ethan’s fists clenched.
Richard spoke.
“Ethan.”
His son looked at him.
Richard shook his head.
Do not sign.
Mason noticed.
He smiled.
Then Sophia stepped forward.
“I’ll convince him.”
Mason looked surprised.
Ethan stared at her.
Sophia walked toward him.
She placed both hands on his shoulders.
“Ethan.”
He did not respond.
She leaned closer.
“Sign it.”
His face twisted.
Sophia looked into his eyes.
Then whispered so quietly only he could hear.
“The account number is wrong.”
Ethan froze.
Sophia continued loudly.
“Just sign.”
But her fingernail traced three digits on his sleeve.
4.
5.
6.
Ethan understood.
The document in front of him showed an account ending 491.
Sophia was telling him it was fake.
Mason had the wrong trust account.
Ethan looked at her.
She gave no visible reaction.
He picked up the pen.
Richard stared.
“Ethan.”
Ethan signed.
Richard’s face collapsed.
Martin smiled.
Mason grabbed the document.
He entered the authorization.
The biometric system processed.
Everyone waited.
ACCESS DENIED.
Mason frowned.
Again.
ACCESS DENIED.
Martin stepped closer.
“What did you do?”
Ethan shrugged.
“I signed.”
Mason examined the document.
Then Sophia stepped backward.
Mason looked at her.
His face changed.
“You.”
Sophia ran.
Mason grabbed her hair.
Ethan hit him.
The gun went across the table.
Pierce raised his weapon.
Richard shoved Natalie down.
Thomas tackled Pierce.
Chaos erupted.
Daniel kicked the gun away.
Martin lunged toward the metal case.
Jonathan grabbed him.
“Stop!”
Martin struck Jonathan.
Richard reached the control panel.
He hit the emergency security button.
Steel shutters dropped over the boardroom doors.
Mason punched Ethan.
Sophia grabbed the portable drive from the table.
Mason saw her.
“No!”
She ran toward Richard.
“Catch!”
She threw it.
Richard caught the drive.
Martin froze.
Mason screamed.
“GIVE ME THAT!”
Richard looked at the device.
Sophia shouted.
“That has every transfer!”
Richard stared at her.
Mason moved.
Police alarms erupted throughout the tower.
Then Jonathan did something no one expected.
He stepped in front of Richard.
Facing Martin.
Facing Mason.
Protecting the man he had spent years believing stole his life.
Martin stared at his son.
“Move.”
Jonathan shook his head.
“No.”
Martin’s expression became furious.
“I am your father.”
Jonathan looked at him.
“And that is becoming more embarrassing by the minute.”
For the first time, Richard almost smiled.
Then the boardroom lights went out.
And when emergency power returned three seconds later, Mason Vale was gone.
So was the portable drive.
Richard stared at his empty hand.
Someone had taken it in the darkness.
Everyone looked at Sophia.
But she raised both hands.
“I don’t have it.”
Martin did not have it.
Pierce did not have it.
Thomas did not have it.
Then Richard looked toward Jonathan.
May you like
Margaret’s first son was standing beside the shattered side door.
And his jacket pocket was open.
