Chapter 5: The Father of the Woman He Was About to Marry
Darius stood motionless.
Robert Bennett.
The name appeared in Renee's documents, in the old court records, and in the photographs hidden inside the wooden box.
Now the man himself was standing at his front door.
“Do not let him inside,” Darius ordered.
The guard responded immediately.
“Yes, sir.””
Brittany laughed.
“You can't keep him outside forever.””
“I can keep him off my property.””
“You really think that will stop him?””
Darius picked up the power-of-attorney document.
“What did you do?””
Brittany walked toward the bedroom door.
“Something I should have done a long time ago.””
“Stop.””
She turned.
“You don't understand what you're dealing with.””
“Then explain it.””
Brittany sighed.
“My father made mistakes. Renee's family had money, and he believed he deserved a share. He thought he was protecting our family.””
“He stole from a little girl's trust.””
“He didn't steal anything. He borrowed it.””
“Millions of dollars?””
She looked away.
Darius shook his head.
“And you came into my life to get it back?””
Brittany didn't answer.
He held up the signed agreement.
“You made me sign this.””
“Yes.””
“You lied about what it was.””
“I needed legal access.””
“To what?””
“To the accounts.””
Darius stared at her.
“And the wedding?””
Brittany smiled sadly.
“That was supposed to make everything easier.””
He felt sick.
For three months, he had discussed wedding flowers, seating arrangements, and honeymoon destinations with a woman who had been planning to gain access to his daughter's inheritance.
“Did you ever love me?””
Brittany's smile disappeared.
For a brief moment, she looked almost human.
Then she shrugged.
“I liked you.””
Darius looked down.
That answer was worse than a lie.
He opened his phone and called Marcus.
“Get my attorney here. Immediately.””
“What's happened?””
“I've discovered that my fiancée obtained a fraudulent power of attorney.””
Marcus went silent.
“Are you sure?””
“I have the document in front of me.””
“Don't sign anything else. Don't let her remove any files. I'll contact the authorities.””
Darius ended the call.
Brittany watched him.
“You're making a mistake.””
“No. I made one when I trusted you.””
At 11:42 p.m., Robert Bennett entered the house.
He was a tall man with silver hair and an expensive dark suit.
He walked into the living room as though he owned the place.
“Darius,” he said pleasantly.
Darius stood beside the fireplace.
“Robert.””
Robert extended his hand.
Darius didn't take it.
The older man lowered his hand.
“I hear there has been a misunderstanding.””
“Your daughter shaved my child's head.””
Robert sighed.
“Children are resilient.””
Darius stared at him.
“That's your response?””
“What would you like me to say? It was unfortunate.””
“It was abuse.””
Robert glanced toward Brittany.
“She's young. She made a mistake.””
Darius stepped closer.
“Do you know what happened to Renee?””
Robert's expression changed slightly.
“Your wife was a lovely woman.””
“Don't.””
“I'm sorry for your loss.””
“You were involved in the fraud against her family.””
Robert removed his gloves.
“Those allegations were never proven.””
“I have the documents.””
“Documents can be interpreted in many ways.””
Darius held up the old trust agreement.
“Did you steal money from my daughter's inheritance?””
Robert smiled.
“You should be careful with accusations.””
“Answer me.””
Robert looked around the room.
Then he said quietly:
“Your daughter has an inheritance that should have been divided differently.””
Darius's stomach tightened.
“It's hers.””
“That's your opinion.””
“It's legally hers.””
“Not if the trust is challenged.””
Robert opened his briefcase.
He removed a folder.
“Fortunately, I have a proposal that can resolve this.””
Darius didn't move.
“What proposal?””
Robert placed the folder on the coffee table.
“A settlement.””
Darius looked at the first page.
It was an agreement to transfer a substantial portion of Kayla's trust into a new holding company.
The beneficiary would be Robert Bennett.
Darius stared.
“You want me to sign away my daughter's inheritance?””
Robert shrugged.
“It's a reasonable arrangement.””
“No.””
“Think carefully.””
“I have.””
Robert leaned forward.
“You have a young daughter. You are preparing to raise her alone. You need someone who understands these matters.””
Darius laughed without humor.
“I have raised her alone for two years.””
“And look what happened.””
The words landed like a slap.
Darius stepped forward.
“Get out.””
Robert closed the folder.
“I'm trying to help you.””
“You and your daughter have hurt my child enough.””
Robert's expression hardened.
“Then perhaps you should consider what happens if the trust goes into litigation.””
Darius looked at him.
“Is that a threat?””
“It's a warning.””
Robert picked up his briefcase.
Then he looked toward the stairs.
“By the way, where is the little girl?””
Darius's entire body stiffened.
“Why?””
Robert smiled.
“I'd like to apologize.””
“You will never go near her.””
Robert shrugged.
“Very well.””
He walked toward the entrance.
But before leaving, he turned around.
“One more thing, Darius.””
“What?””
“Renee wasn't the only person who knew about the trust.””
Darius stared at him.
Robert continued.
“Someone in your own family helped us.””
Then he walked out.
At 12:15 a.m., Darius sat in his office with the documents spread across his desk.
Marcus had arrived with a second attorney, Jennifer Wells.
Jennifer was a specialist in estate litigation.
She examined the power-of-attorney document for nearly twenty minutes.
Then she looked up.
“Mr. Mitchell, this is serious.””
“I know.””
“This document gives Brittany access to several financial accounts and allows her to act on your behalf in certain estate matters.””
“Can we revoke it?””
“Yes, but we need to establish whether it was obtained through misrepresentation. We should also secure every related account immediately.””
Darius nodded.
“Do it.””
Jennifer continued reading.
Then she stopped.
“There's something else.””
“What?””
“This document contains an additional clause.””
She turned the page.
Darius leaned forward.
The clause stated that if Darius became incapacitated, his designated representative would have authority over the family trust.
He read the name.
Brittany Collins.
His stomach dropped.
“Why would she have that authority?””
Jennifer looked at him.
“Because someone added her as a secondary representative.””
“Who?””
Jennifer pointed to the signature line.
Darius stared.
The signature belonged to the attorney who had managed Renee's estate.
The same attorney Marcus had identified earlier.
Jennifer took out her phone.
“I'm going to contact the state bar and request the original filing records.””
Darius nodded.
Then he remembered something.
“Can you check whether Renee ever changed the original beneficiary arrangements?””
Jennifer looked up.
“Why?””
“Because Robert said someone in my family helped him.””
She opened the document folder again.
After several minutes, she found an old amendment.
It had been filed eleven months before Renee died.
The amendment changed the trust's oversight arrangements.
Darius scanned the document.
Then he stopped.
The witness signature was familiar.
Very familiar.
His older brother.
Nathan Mitchell.
Darius stared at the page.
Nathan had been his closest friend since childhood.
He had stood beside him at his wedding.
He had held Kayla at the hospital when she was born.
He had helped Darius make funeral arrangements after Renee died.
And now his name was on a document connected to the missing millions.
Darius immediately called him.
It rang twice.
Nathan answered.
“Brother? It's late. Everything okay?””
Darius looked at the document.
“Where were you tonight?””
“At home. Why?””
“Did you know Brittany's father?””
A pause.
Then Nathan laughed.
“What kind of question is that?””
“Answer me.””
“Darius, what's going on?””
“Your signature is on a trust amendment Renee never told me about.””
Silence.
Long, uncomfortable silence.
Then Nathan spoke.
“Listen to me carefully.””
Darius stood up.
“I'm listening.””
“Don't trust Jennifer Wells.””
Darius frowned.
“What?””
“Don't trust the lawyer. Don't trust Marcus. And whatever you do, don't let them open Renee's second file.””
Darius felt his blood run cold.
“What second file?””
Nathan's voice dropped.
“The one Renee left with me before she died.””
Darius gripped the phone.
“Why do you have something that belonged to my wife?””
Nathan exhaled.
“Because she knew someone was going to come after Kayla.””
Darius looked at the open box.
“What did she give you?””
Nathan hesitated.
Then he whispered:
“A video.””
“What video?””
“The video Renee recorded three days before she died.””
Darius's throat tightened.
“What does it show?””
Nathan didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
“It shows the person who ordered the theft from Kayla's trust.””
Darius sat down.
“Who?””
Nathan's answer was barely audible.
“Your father.””
Darius went completely still.
His father had been dead for eleven years.
And if Renee's video proved what Nathan claimed, then the betrayal behind his daughter's stolen inheritance had begun long before Brittany ever entered their home.
But Nathan wasn't finished.
“There's something else, Darius.””
“What?””
“Renee didn't die without knowing who was responsible.””
Darius closed his eyes.
“Then why didn't she tell me?””
Nathan whispered:
“Because the person who arranged the fraud threatened to take Kayla away from you.””
The call suddenly disconnected.
Darius stared at the phone.
Then a message appeared.
It was from an unknown number.
A video attachment.
May you like
And beneath it were seven words:
Your wife knew who really killed her.
