Chapter 6
I drove to Terrence's house that evening.
Patricia had advised me not to confront him alone.
So I didn't.
Jasmine drove with me.
A licensed investigator working with Patricia waited nearby.
I knocked twice.
Terrence opened the door.
He looked exhausted.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His eyes were bloodshot.
“Marcus.”
“Can we talk?”
He glanced behind me.
“Who's with you?”
“My sister.”
He hesitated.
Then stepped aside.
Inside, his living room was cluttered with papers.
A half-empty coffee cup sat beside his laptop.
He looked nothing like the confident man who usually controlled every business meeting.
I sat across from him.
“Start talking.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“It's complicated.”
I almost laughed.
“Everyone keeps telling me that.”
Terrence looked down.
“I know.”
I leaned forward.
“Did you help Daniel and Richard try to take my company?”
He closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The admission hurt more than I expected.
“Why?”
He swallowed.
“Because they had something on me.”
“What?”
He looked toward the hallway.
Then lowered his voice.
“Anthony Cole.”
I stared at him.
“What about Anthony?”
Terrence took a shaky breath.
“His accident wasn't handled the way you believed.”
I felt cold.
“What does that mean?”
He explained that Anthony had reported serious safety concerns at a construction site.
Terrence was responsible for supervision.
He had ignored several warnings about defective scaffolding.
After Anthony fell, Terrence feared losing his job.
So he altered inspection documents before the insurance investigation.
I stared at him.
“You falsified safety records?”
He nodded.
“Without telling me?”
“Yes.”
My stomach twisted.
“Someone could have died.”
“I know.”
“Anthony could have died!”
Terrence covered his face.
“I know, Marcus.”
I stood.
For a moment, I wanted to walk out.
Then I remembered what he said about my father.
“What does Dad have to do with this?”
Terrence looked up.
“Your father found out.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He came to the office to drop something off. He overheard me talking to the site supervisor.”
I sat down slowly.
“What did he do?”
“He confronted me.”
I could almost picture it.
My father standing in his work jacket, looking disappointed.
He had spent thirty-five years working as a carpenter.
He believed safety rules were written in the suffering of people who had been hurt before.
“What did he say?”
Terrence swallowed.
“He said I had one chance to tell you the truth.”
My chest tightened.
“Did you?”
“No.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“I was terrified.”
“Of what?”
“Losing everything.”
I shook my head.
“So you kept lying.”
He nodded.
“Your father said he'd speak to you himself.”
I felt my heart pounding.
“But he died before he could.”
Terrence looked down.
My father had suffered a sudden heart attack six years earlier.
There had been no warning.
No goodbye.
For years, I had wondered whether he wanted to tell me something during our last conversation.
Now I knew.
He had been carrying another man's secret.
Terrence continued.
“Richard found the altered reports last year.”
“How?”
“He acquired records from the old subcontractor.”
I leaned back.
“And he blackmailed you.”
Terrence nodded.
“He threatened to expose everything unless I helped him.”
I stared at him.
“Why not tell me?”
“Because I knew you'd do the right thing.”
I felt something break inside me.
He wasn't wrong.
I would have reported it.
I would have helped Anthony seek justice.
I would have protected the company by admitting the truth.
But Terrence had chosen another path.
He had sacrificed my trust to protect his reputation.
“Did you steal the money?” I asked.
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“About one hundred and eighty thousand.”
I closed my eyes.
“Where is it?”
“Most went to Richard's company.”
“Most?”
He looked ashamed.
“I kept some.”
I shook my head.
“Twelve families depend on that money.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
My voice rose.
“Because it doesn't seem like you know what you've done.”
Terrence began crying.
I had never seen him cry.
Not when his mother died.
Not when our first major client canceled a project.
Not when we nearly went bankrupt.
Now he sat in front of me, broken by his own choices.
“I'll give everything back,” he whispered.
I stared at him.
“That won't erase what you did.”
“I know.”
I stood.
“You need to tell the authorities.”
He nodded.
“I will.”
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I asked one final question.
“Did Nia know about Anthony?”
Terrence shook his head.
“No.”
“Did she know about the company scheme?”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
“How much?”
He hesitated.
“She knew Daniel wanted ownership.”
I closed my eyes.
“Did she know they planned to use forged documents?”
“I don't think so.”
I looked at him.
“That's not an answer.”
“I didn't discuss that part with her.”
I nodded.
At least I had one clear fact.
Then Terrence said something unexpected.
“Marcus, Daniel isn't in love with Nia.”
“I know.”
“He never was.”
I looked away.
“Don't.”
“I'm trying to tell you something important.”
I turned back.
“What?”
Terrence swallowed.
“Daniel has another woman.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Her name is Vanessa.”
My stomach tightened.
“He's been seeing her for years.”
I thought of Nia.
The tears.
The desperation.
The way she believed Daniel needed her.
“Does she know?”
Terrence shook his head.
“No.”
I closed my eyes.
Daniel wasn't simply betraying me.
He was deceiving Nia too.
That didn't excuse her affair.
But it made the whole situation even uglier.
I left Terrence's house feeling exhausted.
Jasmine drove because my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Halfway home, my phone rang.
Nia.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
“Marcus?”
Her voice was frantic.
“What?”
“Daniel came to the house.”
I sat straighter.
“When?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
“What happened?”
“He was furious.”
“Why?”
“Because I sent you the recording.”
My stomach dropped.
“Is he still there?”
“No.”
“Are you safe?”
She began crying.
“I think so.”
I closed my eyes.
“Lock the doors. Call the police if he comes back.”
“Marcus, there's something else.”
I gripped the phone.
“What?”
“He told me he's leaving the country.”
I stared ahead.
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“He said everything was falling apart.”
I looked at Jasmine.
Then Nia whispered, “Marcus, I found a folder in his bag.”
My heart pounded.
“What folder?”
“It has bank statements, business documents, and copies of your signature.”
I sat upright.
“Do you still have it?”
“Yes.”
I took a breath.
“Don't touch anything else. I'll arrange for it to be collected.”
She began crying harder.
“Marcus, I think Daniel was going to frame you.”
I closed my eyes.
The truth was finally coming together.
May you like
But I knew one thing with absolute certainty.
The man who tried to steal my wife and my business was not going to disappear without facing the consequences.
