Chapter 14 - Bennett Chooses a Side
Bennett came to Gabriel’s house the next morning.
Alone.
Rachel almost refused to let him inside.
I agreed to ten minutes.
He entered looking nothing like the billionaire photographed for magazines.
No tie.
Wrinkled shirt.
Unshaven.
He looked at me.
“I heard about Sedona.”
“From whom?”
“My mother.”
“Not Margot?”
His jaw tightened.
“I haven’t spoken to Margot.”
“Since yesterday?”
“Since the hospital.”
I did not believe him.
He saw that.
“I can prove it.”
“I don’t care.”
That hurt him.
Good.
He looked toward Gabriel.
“Can I speak to my wife alone?”
“No.”
I answered before Gabriel could.
Bennett nodded slowly.
“Fine.”
He placed a folder on the table.
“I found something.”
Rachel took it first.
“What?”
“My father’s archived corporate email.”
Victoria had given him access years ago.
Bennett had searched overnight.
Rachel opened the folder.
Inside were printouts.
Emails.
Payment authorizations.
Calendar notes.
One subject line repeated.
E.M.
Eleanor Mercer.
My mother.
I stared.
Bennett spoke.
“My father tracked her meetings.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened.
“For how long?”
“Four months.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know more than that.”
Bennett looked at me.
“I think Damian arranged the crash.”
The room became silent.
Rachel immediately said, “That conclusion is not established.”
“I know.”
Bennett continued.
“But my father paid Vale Meridian seven hundred fifty thousand dollars three days later.”
My stomach tightened.
“For what?”
“Consulting.”
Gabriel laughed bitterly.
“Of course.”
Bennett looked sick.
“I didn’t know any of this.”
I stared at him.
“Maybe not then.”
He flinched.
I continued.
“But you became him anyway.”
“Tessa.”
“You may not have sabotaged anyone’s car.”
“You just tried to sabotage my credibility.”
His face crumpled slightly.
That was the first moment I believed he understood the comparison.
“I’m sorry.”
I said nothing.
He swallowed.
“I know that doesn’t fix it.”
“No.”
“I know.”
He looked toward my stomach.
“I also know you have every reason to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.”
That surprised him.
I surprised myself.
“I don’t want to spend enough of my life thinking about you to hate you.”
His eyes dropped.
“I want to help.”
Rachel asked, “Help with what?”
“Everything.”
“Why?”
Bennett looked at me.
“Because Margot came to my house last night.”
I froze.
“What?”
“She used an old security code.”
“What happened?”
“She was angry.”
“About Sedona?”
“Yes.”
He looked toward Rachel.
“She said her father would destroy Halloway unless I fixed this.”
“What does fixing it mean?”
“Getting Tessa to approve North Valley.”
I stared at him.
“And what did you say?”
“No.”
I waited.
He continued.
“She threatened me.”
“With what?”
He laughed once.
“My custody plan.”
Rachel leaned forward.
“What about it?”
“She recorded conversations.”
Of course she did.
“She said if I didn’t control Tessa, she would release recordings proving the guardianship strategy was intended to separate Tessa from the baby.”
My chest tightened.
“Was it?”
Bennett looked at me.
He could have lied.
For once, he didn’t.
“Yes.”
Gabriel’s fist hit the table.
Bennett did not move.
I whispered, “Why?”
His eyes filled.
“Because I thought if you had Evelyn, you would leave.”
“So you planned to take her first.”
“Yes.”
“Did you intend to let me see her?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
He looked away.
My heart cracked one final time.
“Supervised?”
He nodded.
I felt strangely calm.
“Thank you.”
His head snapped up.
“For what?”
“For finally telling the truth.”
Tears stood in his eyes.
“I was terrified.”
“So was I.”
“I know.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You know now.”
I looked at Rachel.
“Document that admission.”
She nodded.
Bennett closed his eyes.
Then he pushed another envelope toward me.
“What is that?”
“A statement.”
“About?”
“Everything I did.”
I stared.
“Financial restrictions.”
“Simon.”
“Margot.”
“The custody plan.”
“The company funds I used.”
Rachel opened it.
Bennett continued.
“I signed it in front of my attorney.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
“Because my father spent his whole life teaching me that admitting wrongdoing was weakness.”
He swallowed.
“And yesterday I listened to his voice on that recording.”
“I realized I sounded like him.”
Nobody spoke.
Bennett stood.
“I don’t expect forgiveness.”
“Good.”
A faint, broken smile touched his face.
“I deserved that.”
He walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
“Tessa.”
I looked at him.
“Margot knows about the lake house.”
“What lake house?”
“Damian’s property near Payson.”
“What about it?”
“Her exact words were, ‘Dad should have burned the lake house years ago.’”
Rachel and Gabriel exchanged looks.
Bennett continued.
“I think there is something there.”
May you like
Then he left.
And forty minutes later, federal investigators called Rachel asking the exact same question.
