CHAPTER 9 — THE FINAL BETRAYAL
Thomas came to my house the next morning.
He walked into my study as if nothing had happened.
He even smiled.
“I heard about what happened to Emily.”
I stared at him.
“You knew.”
His smile disappeared.
“Knew what?”
“You knew about the pool.”
Silence.
Then he sighed.
“Daniel, you're making a mistake.”
I placed my father's recorder on the desk.
Thomas looked at it.
For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
“You shouldn't have found that.”
I stood up.
“You killed my father?”
“No.”
“Did you order him killed?”
“No.”
“Did you manipulate Michael?”
He said nothing.
“Did you threaten Claire?”
Still nothing.
Then Thomas sat down.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
He looked exhausted.
“The money was never supposed to belong to Emily.”
“It was my father's.”
“It was mine.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You stole it.”
“I protected it.”
“You nearly killed my daughter.”
“I never ordered that.”
“Then who did?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Michael.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Michael thought he was working for me.”
“What?”
“Michael created his own plan.”
Thomas explained that Michael had become obsessed with the trust.
He wanted control.
He hired Victor.
Victor recruited Rebecca.
Rebecca manipulated Robert.
And Claire had been trapped between them.
Thomas admitted that he had known about the scheme but hadn't stopped it.
He had wanted to see who would betray whom.
That was his greatest mistake.
Because while everyone fought over the money, Emily nearly died.
I turned to leave.
Thomas called my name.
“There is something else.”
I stopped.
“Your father left one final provision.”
“What?”
“If the trust is threatened by criminal activity, the entire fortune is transferred to a children's foundation.”
I stared at him.
“So none of you get the money.”
Thomas smiled bitterly.
“Exactly.”
Suddenly I understood.
The fortune had never been the real prize.
My father had designed the trust to expose the people who valued money more than family.
And he had succeeded.
Every person involved had revealed themselves.
Except one.
I looked at Thomas.
“Who else knew about the final provision?”
He answered quietly.
May you like
“Your wife.”
I felt my heart sink.
