Richard's Version
Chapter 06 - Richard's Version
Richard poured himself a drink.
“You've spent your entire life believing Luke was the good brother.”
Caleb's fists tightened.
“Don't talk about him.”
“Luke was stealing from the company.”
Vanessa stared at her father.
“What?”
Richard opened another cabinet.
He removed accounting reports showing hundreds of thousands of dollars transferred through accounts connected to Luke.
Caleb read them twice.
“No.”
“Your brother discovered the fraud because he created it.”
Richard claimed Luke planned to expose everyone else before investigators found him.
According to Richard, Mara knew.
The money had not been a bribe.
It had been payment to keep her quiet.
Caleb's certainty cracked.
Could Mara have lied?
Could Luke?
Richard leaned closer.
“I sent Mara away because your father begged me to.”
“My father?”
“He knew what Luke had done.”
Caleb wanted to reject every word.
Then Richard produced a signed letter.
Jonathan Mercer's signature was unmistakable.
It instructed Richard to “handle the Bennett situation.”
Caleb felt the room tilt.
His father had died three years ago.
There was no one left to question.
Vanessa looked at Caleb.
“Maybe there are two sides.”
Richard smiled faintly.
That smile made Caleb suspicious.
He had watched Richard win negotiations with that smile.
Caleb collected the documents.
“I'm taking these.”
“No.”
“They concern my family.”
“They belong to my company.”
Caleb met Richard's eyes.
“Then sue me.”
Outside, Vanessa followed him.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find out who Luke really was.”
“And us?”
Caleb looked at the woman he had nearly married.
“I don't know.”
Vanessa nodded, tears filling her eyes.
She did not ask him to stay.
But just before Caleb drove away, she said something that changed everything again.
“Caleb.”
He rolled down the window.
“My father lied about one thing.”
“What?”
Vanessa held up the forged merger agreement.
“This document wasn't created nine years ago.”
May you like
She looked toward the house.
“It was created last week.”
