Chapter 8: My Mother's Confession
My mother arrived twenty minutes later.
She didn't knock.
She opened the front door with the spare key she had kept since my childhood.
“Denise!””
Her voice echoed through the house.
Thomas stood up.
“Eleanor.””
She stopped when she saw him.
For the first time in my life, I watched my mother lose control of her expression.
Her handbag slipped slightly from her shoulder.
“Thomas?””
He remained still.
“Hello, Eleanor.””
She looked at me.
“What have you done?””
I closed the metal box.
“I could ask you the same thing.””
She glanced toward the laptop.
Then toward the notebook.
Her face hardened.
“Where did you get that?””
“From Uncle Thomas.””
“You shouldn't have it.””
“Why?””
“Because it doesn't belong to you.””
I stood.
“It's my father's notebook.””
“Your father was confused near the end.””
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“That's convenient.””
My mother ignored him.
“Denise, we need to talk privately.””
“No.””
Her lips tightened.
“Don't be childish.””
“I've spent most of my life doing what you told me. I'm not doing it anymore.””
She looked toward Daniel.
“And who is this?””
“Daniel Mercer. My attorney.””
My mother gave a short laugh.
“Of course. You've brought lawyers into a family matter.””
Daniel calmly closed his laptop.
“Mrs. Hayes, the documents in that box concern a trust and several corporate entities. This is no longer simply a family matter.””
She turned back to me.
“Marcus is a good man.””
I stared at her.
“Then why did he transfer money from my trust to you?””
“He was helping me.””
“With what?””
She hesitated.
Then she sat down.
For several seconds, she looked older than I remembered.
Her hands trembled as she removed her gloves.
“Your father never understood how difficult it was to live beside a man who thought money was more important than his family.””
Thomas frowned.
“Don't rewrite history.””
My mother ignored him.
“Your father built Westbridge. He became obsessed with it. Every conversation was about contracts, buildings, investors. He promised me a comfortable life, then spent every waking hour protecting his company.””
I looked at her.
“So you decided to take it?””
“I deserved something.””
“You had a home. You had investments. You had everything.””
“Not what I wanted.””
Her voice cracked.
For the first time, I saw the anger underneath her polished appearance.
“I wanted control. I wanted security that no one could take away.””
“So you chose Marcus.””
She looked at me.
“He was ambitious.””
“He was married to me.””
“He loved you.””
I almost laughed.
“Did he?””
My mother looked away.
Thomas placed the notebook on the table.
“Eleanor, tell her about Richard.””
She stiffened.
“What about him?””
“The payments. The confidential information. The plan to take control of Westbridge.””
My mother stood.
“I will not discuss this with you.””
Daniel opened his laptop again.
“Then perhaps we should watch the recording.””
She turned toward him.
“What recording?””
I pressed play.
My father's face appeared on the screen.
He was sitting in his study, wearing the same gray sweater I remembered from the final Christmas we spent together.
“Denise,” he began, “there are things about your mother that I should have told you sooner.””
My mother moved toward the laptop.
“Turn that off.””
I didn't.
My father's voice continued.
“Eleanor has been working with Richard Cole to transfer confidential information from Westbridge to outside investors. I confronted her this morning. She told me I had no right to question how she handled her own financial affairs.””
My mother's face had gone white.
My father continued.
“That's not the worst part. I discovered that Richard and Eleanor have been discussing a way to use your future marriage to gain control of Blackwood Holdings.””
I felt my chest tighten.
My father looked down at a document.
“They believe Blackwood has a hidden asset worth considerably more than the original company. But they don't understand the protective clause.””
He paused.
Then he looked directly into the camera.
“Denise, if Marcus is involved, don't assume he knows everything. Your mother may be using him just as much as he is using you.””
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
Then my mother spoke.
“He was paranoid.””
Thomas shook his head.
“He was dying, Eleanor. He wasn't paranoid.””
My mother turned toward me.
“You don't understand what your father put me through.””
I stared at her.
“Did you know Marcus was planning to take money from my trust?””
She didn't answer.
“Did you?””
“Yes.””
The single word seemed to drain the warmth from the room.
Daniel sat up.
“Mrs. Hayes, are you admitting that you knew about the unauthorized transfer?””
My mother looked at him.
“I knew Marcus needed money.””
“That wasn't my question.””
She lowered her eyes.
“I knew about the transfer.””
I felt something inside me break.
“Why?””
She began crying.
Not the delicate tears she used at charity dinners.
Real tears.
Ugly, desperate ones.
“Because he promised me the money would secure my future.””
I stared at her.
“And mine?””
She looked up.
“You would have been fine.””
I stepped backward.
“You were willing to let him steal from me because you thought I'd be fine?””
“Denise, I gave you everything.””
“No. Dad gave me everything. You tried to take it.””
Her face twisted.
“You have no idea what it costs to be a woman married to a man who controls every dollar.””
I looked at Thomas.
He remained silent.
My mother continued.
“Your father made all the decisions. When he died, I thought I would finally have a chance to live differently. But the trust restricted everything.””
“So you made an agreement with Marcus.””
“Yes.””
“And Richard?””
She closed her eyes.
“He was supposed to help us.””
“Help you do what?””
She didn't answer.
Daniel turned the laptop toward her.
“Mrs. Hayes, the final video contains another section.””
My mother froze.
“What?””
Daniel clicked on a second recording.
The image showed my father again.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
A man sat opposite him.
I recognized him immediately.
Richard Cole.
My father placed a folder on the desk.
“Richard, if anything happens to me, Denise must receive these documents.””
Richard nodded.
“Of course.””
My father continued.
“And Eleanor must never be allowed to sign on behalf of Blackwood.””
Richard looked uncomfortable.
“I understand.””
My mother began shaking her head.
“No.””
The recording continued.
My father leaned forward.
“Because the real owner of Blackwood is not the person you think.””
Richard looked directly at the camera.
And then my father said a name.
A name I had never expected to hear.
“Thomas, you are the only person who can protect her if Eleanor and Richard go through with their plan.””
The video stopped.
My mother stared at Thomas.
Thomas stared at the floor.
I turned toward my uncle.
“Why did Dad say you were the real owner?””
Thomas took a long breath.
“Because I was.””
“What?””
He looked at me.
“Your father and I created Blackwood together. I held the original controlling shares. He transferred them into a protected trust before his death.””
“Then why does the agreement list me as the beneficiary?””
“Because he changed it.””
Thomas opened the notebook to the final page.
“After he discovered what Eleanor and Richard were doing, he changed the succession arrangement.””
He turned the page toward me.
My name appeared.
Underneath it was a sentence.
Upon activation, all controlling rights shall pass to Denise Hayes.
My mother suddenly stood.
“No. That's not possible.””
Daniel looked at her.
“It's already been activated.””
She reached for the notebook.
Thomas pulled it away.
“Don't.””
Her face changed.
Then she looked directly at me.
“You have no idea what you've just done.””
I stepped toward her.
“I think I finally do.””
She picked up her handbag.
At the door, she stopped.
“Denise, you should ask Daniel what happened to the original Blackwood shares.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
She smiled through her tears.
“Your father didn't leave you a company.””
May you like
She opened the door.
“He left you a debt.””
