Chapter 6: The Company My Father Hid
“Blackwood Holdings.””
Daniel repeated the name as if he were testing whether it still had the power to frighten him.
I stood behind my father's desk, holding my phone against my ear.
“Vanessa, how do you know about Blackwood?””
“I found a folder in Marcus's office. It was inside a locked drawer beneath his desk. He thought I was at lunch.””
“What was in it?””
“Old corporate documents. Bank statements. A photograph of your father.””
I looked at Daniel.
He had stopped packing his briefcase.
“Was there anything else?”” I asked.
Vanessa hesitated.
“There was a letter. Your father's handwriting was on the envelope.””
My heart began pounding.
“Where is it now?””
“Marcus took it when he discovered me looking through the drawer.””
“Did you read it?””
“Only the first few lines. It said something about a second company and a person who shouldn't be trusted.””
Daniel approached me.
“Ask her whether she saw a date.””
“Vanessa, did you see a date on the letter?””
“Yes. November 14. Eleven years ago.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
That was three days before my father died.
“Vanessa,” I said carefully, “I need you to tell me everything.””
She exhaled.
“Marcus has been meeting someone from Blackwood for months. I thought it was a potential acquisition. But last week, I heard him arguing with your mother.””
“What did they say?””
“Your mother wanted the original documents. Marcus said he couldn't give them to her until he had control of Westbridge.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why would my mother want documents belonging to Blackwood?””
“I don't know. But Marcus said something about a clause that would make everything worthless if the wrong person opened the trust.””
Daniel took the phone from me.
“Vanessa, this is Daniel Mercer, Denise's attorney. I need you to preserve every message, photograph, and document you have. Don't confront Marcus. Don't access anything you're not authorized to access.””
“Am I in trouble?””
“That's not something I can promise. But cooperating honestly will matter.””
She went quiet.
Then she asked, “Will Denise be there?””
I took the phone back.
“Yes.””
“I'm sorry,” Vanessa whispered.
I looked at the gold bracelet lying on the dining table in my mind.
“I'm not ready to forgive you.””
“I understand.””
“But I want the truth.””
“You'll have it.””
When the call ended, Daniel returned to his chair.
“Your father established Blackwood Holdings shortly before his death.””
“Why didn't I know?””
“Because it wasn't an ordinary company. It was created to hold certain intellectual property, investment rights, and a controlling interest in a private development fund.””
“How much is it worth?””
Daniel hesitated.
“That depends on the current value of the assets. But the last independent valuation placed it above sixty million dollars.””
I sat down.
Sixty million.
My father had never mentioned that number.
He had taught me to compare grocery prices, repair broken furniture, and never spend money simply to impress people.
He had also left me something worth more than the company Marcus had spent eight years pretending to build alone.
“Who controls Blackwood?”” I asked.
“An independent trustee.””
“Who?””
“Until recently, the identity was protected by a private succession agreement.””
“Recently?””
Daniel opened his laptop.
“Your father included a condition. If someone attempted to obtain control of Blackwood through fraud, the trustee would be required to reveal the protected beneficiary.””
I stared at him.
“And Marcus's attempted transfer triggered it?””
“Possibly. We're confirming that now.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa.
I found another photograph. Your mother is with someone else. I think you should see it.
The image appeared.
My mother sat at a restaurant table with a man in a navy suit.
I recognized his face.
Richard Cole.
Marcus's attorney.
I enlarged the photograph.
The date stamp showed it had been taken five months earlier.
“Daniel.””
He leaned over my shoulder.
His expression changed immediately.
“That's Richard.””
“Why was he meeting my mother?””
“I don't know.””
I sent the image to Daniel.
He studied it.
“Denise, I need to ask you something. Did your father ever mention a dispute involving Richard Cole?””
I searched my memory.
My father had disliked Richard.
I remembered that much.
Once, when I was twenty-four, Richard had attended a dinner at our home. He spent most of the evening talking about investment opportunities. After he left, my father had told me never to sign anything he prepared without independent advice.
I had thought it was ordinary caution.
Now it felt like a warning.
“Dad didn't trust him,” I said.
Daniel nodded.
“Neither did I.””
He pulled a document from his briefcase.
It was a copy of the original Blackwood succession agreement.
My father's signature appeared at the bottom.
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
If Eleanor, Richard, or anyone acting with them attempts to obtain control of the trust, contact the independent beneficiary immediately.
I looked at Daniel.
“Independent beneficiary?””
“Yes.””
“Who is it?””
He turned the page.
A name appeared beneath a sealed section.
*Denise Hayes.*
I stared at it.
“But you said the beneficiary's identity was protected.””
“It was protected from public records. Not from the person named in the agreement.””
I swallowed.
“Then why are you looking surprised?””
Daniel gave me a tired smile.
“Because I received confirmation from the independent trustee twenty minutes ago.””
He turned his laptop toward me.
An email was open.
The subject line read:
*BLACKWOOD HOLDINGS — SUCCESSION ACTIVATION*
The message contained one sentence.
The beneficiary has been confirmed. An emergency meeting is required within forty-eight hours.
I looked up.
“Who requested the meeting?””
Daniel pointed to the sender's details.
The request had come from the independent trustee.
And the person listed as the emergency contact was someone I had not seen since I was a little girl.
My father's younger brother.
May you like
My uncle, Thomas Hayes.
The man my mother had told me was dead.
