Chapter 7: The Lawyer Who Was Supposed to Protect Us
I stared at the photograph.
Daniel Price had worked with Bennett Hospitality Group for seven years.
He had negotiated our leases, reviewed our acquisition agreements, and handled some of our most sensitive legal matters.
He had personally helped me establish the company's corporate structure.
And now my brother was showing me a photograph of him meeting Vanessa Williams in secret.
“Where did you get this?”” I asked.
David sat down.
“A private investigator hired by one of my business partners took it.””
“When?””
“Three days ago.””
“Why didn't you tell me sooner?””
“I didn't know Daniel was your lawyer until yesterday.””
I looked at the photograph again.
Daniel was holding a folder.
Vanessa was smiling.
They appeared comfortable together.
Far too comfortable.
I immediately called Claire.
“Get Daniel Price on the phone.””
She looked surprised.
“Is everything okay?””
“Just call him.””
She stepped outside.
I turned toward David.
“Who hired the investigator?””
“A man named Samuel Brooks. He owns a small construction company. Vanessa approached him about a development project, but he became suspicious when she asked him to sign documents without allowing his attorney to review them.””
“Did he report her?””
“He tried. She threatened to sue him.””
I nodded.
“Can I speak with him?””
David gave me his number.
Before I could call, Claire returned.
“Daniel says he's in a meeting and will call back.””
I looked at her.
“Did he sound surprised?””
She hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Tell him we need him in the conference room in fifteen minutes.””
Claire nodded.
I picked up the photograph.
“David, don't mention this to anyone else.””
“Why?””
“Because if Daniel is involved, he may know exactly what evidence we have.””
We went upstairs.
The conference room had a long glass table, twelve leather chairs, and a wall-mounted display showing our company's financial dashboard.
I asked our IT director, Michael, to join us.
He arrived carrying a laptop.
“What's happening?””
I showed him the photograph.
His eyebrows rose.
“That's Daniel.””
“Yes.””
Michael sat down.
“Do you want me to check his access history?””
“Everything. Emails, document downloads, external file transfers. Preserve the original records.””
He opened his laptop.
While he worked, I called Samuel Brooks.
He answered on the second ring.
“Samuel Brooks.””
“This is Marcus Bennett.””
There was a pause.
“Mr. Bennett?””
“Yes. My brother David gave me your number.””
Samuel exhaled.
“I was hoping someone would contact you.””
“What happened with Vanessa?””
He lowered his voice.
“She approached me about a commercial development project. She said she had an agreement with Bennett Hospitality and needed a construction partner.””
“Did you sign anything?””
“No. I asked to see the ownership documents. She became angry.””
“What did she say?””
“She told me the legal department had already approved everything.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Which legal department?””
“Yours.””
I looked at David.
“Did she mention Daniel Price?””
Samuel hesitated.
“Yes.””
I leaned forward.
“What did she say?””
“She said Daniel was handling the paperwork and that I shouldn't contact you directly because you were difficult to work with.””
I almost laughed.
“Difficult?””
“She said you were obsessed with controlling every detail.””
I looked at the photograph.
“Did you keep the messages?””
“Every one.””
“Can you send them to me?””
“Absolutely.””
We ended the call.
Michael looked up from his laptop.
“Marcus, I found something.””
“What?””
“Daniel accessed the corporate acquisition files seventeen times over the past month.””
“Was that unusual?””
“Some access was legitimate. But several downloads occurred outside normal working hours.””
He turned the laptop toward me.
A list of files appeared.
Among them was the original corporate ownership agreement.
The same agreement that contained the information used in the forged acquisition document.
“Where were the files sent?””
Michael hesitated.
“An external email address.””
“Whose?””
He opened the record.
The address belonged to Williams Development Group.
I felt the muscles in my neck tighten.
“Can you retrieve the email?””
“Not directly from the deleted account without the appropriate preservation process, but we have the transfer logs and server backups.””
“Preserve everything.””
Michael nodded.
At 11:42, Daniel finally arrived.
He entered the conference room carrying a brown leather briefcase.
“Marcus. You said it was urgent.””
I stood.
“Please sit.””
Daniel looked around.
His eyes paused on David.
Then on the photograph lying in front of me.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“Where did you get that?”” he asked.
I folded my hands.
“Does it matter?””
Daniel pulled out a chair.
“It's a private photograph. Whoever took it had no right to—”
“Why were you meeting Vanessa Williams?””
He stared at me.
“I wasn't.””
David pushed the photograph toward him.
“That's your face, Daniel.””
Daniel looked at David.
“You have no idea what you're talking about.””
I placed another document on the table.
It was a record of the confidential files transferred from his company account.
“Can you explain this?””
Daniel examined the page.
Then he closed the folder.
“Someone must have accessed my account.””
“From your office?””
“I don't know.””
“From your computer?””
“I said I don't know.””
I leaned forward.
“Daniel, I've trusted you with this company for seven years. I need the truth.””
He looked at me for several seconds.
Then he laughed.
Not nervously.
Not awkwardly.
He laughed as though the entire situation amused him.
“Marcus, you really think you built all this alone?””
I remained silent.
He continued.
“I introduced you to the people who helped finance your first expansion. I negotiated the leases that allowed you to open your restaurants. I protected your company from lawsuits.””
“You were paid for that work.””
“Not nearly enough.””
There it was.
The real motive.
I stared at him.
“How much did Vanessa pay you?””
His smile disappeared.
“You're making accusations without proof.””
Michael turned his laptop around.
“We have the transfer records.””
Daniel glanced at the screen.
His face lost color.
David stood.
“You sold us out.””
Daniel snapped.
“Sit down.””
“No.””
Daniel turned toward me.
“You have no idea what you're dealing with.””
“Then tell me.””
He leaned forward.
“Vanessa wasn't the problem. She was only the person willing to do what needed to be done.””
I stared at him.
“What needed to be done?””
He pointed at the ownership agreement.
“Your company was becoming too large. You were expanding too quickly. You were going to lose control eventually.””
“So you helped someone steal it?””
Daniel stood.
“I helped arrange a transaction that would have made everyone wealthy.””
“Everyone except my employees.””
He looked annoyed.
“Employees get paid either way.””
I felt something cold settle in my chest.
“Get out.””
He shook his head.
“Marcus, don't be foolish. You need me.””
“No. I needed you to be honest.””
Daniel picked up his briefcase.
At the door, he stopped.
“You should ask Richard Coleman why he was so interested in your company.””
I frowned.
“What does Richard have to do with this?””
Daniel smiled.
“Ask him about the original investor agreement.””
Then he left.
Michael immediately contacted our outside counsel.
I called Richard.
He answered quickly.
“Marcus.””
“Daniel Price just told me I should ask you about the original investor agreement.””
Silence.
Then Richard sighed.
“I was hoping we could discuss that tomorrow.””
“Not anymore.””
He lowered his voice.
“Marcus, Sterling Capital isn't the only party interested in your company.””
“Who else?””
“An investment consortium called Meridian Equity.””
I frowned.
“Why are they involved?””
“Because they approached us six months ago with an acquisition proposal. We rejected it.””
I stared at the table.
“Who represented them?””
Richard paused.
“Daniel Price.””
I closed my eyes.
Richard continued.
“And Marcus, there's something else you need to know.””
“What?””
“Meridian Equity isn't an ordinary investment group. Its controlling shareholder is someone connected to your family.””
My phone buzzed.
A new email had arrived.
The subject line read:
*CONFIDENTIAL — ORIGINAL BENNETT FAMILY TRUST DOCUMENTS.*
I opened the attachment.
It was a scanned letter from my father.
The letter had been written three months before he died.
May you like
And the first sentence made my hands begin to shake.
*To my sons, Marcus and David: If either of you is reading this, it means someone has tried to take what belongs to both of you.*
