Chapter 2
I stared at my grandfather.
For twenty-seven years, I'd believed my father died in a car accident.
That was the story everyone repeated.
A rainy night.
A mountain road.
A truck that crossed the center line.
A funeral I was too young to understand.
Now Grandpa Arthur was telling me the story wasn't true.
"What do you mean?"
My voice barely worked.
Grandpa lowered himself into his chair.
His hands trembled.
"Isaiah, sit down."
I shook my head.
"No."
He looked pained.
"Please."
I stepped closer.
"Tell me what happened to my father."
Malik stopped fighting the elders.
For the first time, he looked as shocked as I felt.
Aunt Josephine moved beside Grandpa.
"Arthur, perhaps we should continue privately."
I turned toward her.
"Did you know?"
She looked away.
My stomach dropped.
"You knew?"
Her silence hurt.
I looked around the hall.
Several elders lowered their eyes.
Others looked confused.
Suddenly, I couldn't tell which relatives were surprised and which had spent decades hiding something.
Grandpa finally spoke.
"Your father discovered financial irregularities in the family businesses."
I stared at him.
"What kind?"
"Unauthorized loans. Missing distributions. Property transfers that weren't properly approved."
I swallowed.
"Who was responsible?"
Grandpa hesitated.
Then looked toward Malik.
My cousin stiffened.
"What are you looking at me for?"
Arthur sighed.
"You were only two years old when it happened."
Malik looked confused.
"Then why—"
"Your father was managing the records."
The hall became silent.
Uncle Raymond.
My father's younger brother.
The man who'd always told me I should be grateful for whatever the family offered.
I felt sick.
"Are you saying Uncle Raymond stole money?"
Grandpa closed his eyes.
"I'm saying Daniel found transactions he believed were improper."
I took a shaky breath.
"And then he died?"
Grandpa nodded.
"Three weeks later."
My heart pounded.
I looked down at the sealed letter.
"Did Dad write this?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Shortly before his death."
I stared at the red wax.
"Why didn't you give it to me?"
Grandpa's eyes filled.
"Because I was afraid."
The answer struck harder than I expected.
"Afraid of what?"
He looked toward the portrait.
"Of losing another son."
I felt anger rise.
"You let me grow up without knowing what happened because you were afraid?"
He bowed his head.
"Yes."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Grandpa had always been the strongest man in our family.
He built Bennett Holdings from a small trucking operation into a business empire.
He negotiated with powerful investors.
He survived financial crises.
He demanded honesty from everyone.
Yet he'd been too afraid to tell a five-year-old boy what happened to his father.
I looked toward Malik.
He seemed frightened now.
Not angry.
Just frightened.
"Did your father ever tell you about this?"
I asked.
Malik shook his head.
"No."
Then he swallowed.
"He told me Uncle Daniel made bad investments."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
Malik looked toward Grandpa.
"He said Daniel almost destroyed the family company."
Grandpa struck his cane against the floor.
"That is a lie!"
Malik flinched.
Arthur's voice shook.
"Daniel was the one who discovered the missing money."
I stared at the painting.
My father.
The man I'd been told was reckless.
The man whose death supposedly saved the company from embarrassment.
Now Grandpa was saying he'd been protecting the family.
I felt tears rising.
I looked at the envelope again.
"Can I open it?"
Grandpa nodded.
"It's yours."
I carefully broke the wax seal.
Inside were two pages.
The first was a handwritten letter.
The second appeared to be a copy of a financial report.
I unfolded the letter.
My father's handwriting filled the page.
"My son Isaiah,
If you are reading this, I may not be there to explain why I made certain choices.
I want you to know that I loved you from the moment I first held you.
You are not responsible for the problems between the adults in this family.
Never let anyone convince you that your place here depends on money or titles.
I have discovered something wrong with the accounts entrusted to our family.
I am trying to correct it without destroying the people I love.
But if I fail, I want you to remember one thing.
Truth matters more than inheritance."
My eyes blurred.
I couldn't continue.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
For years, I'd imagined what my father might have said if he'd lived.
Now his words were in my hands.
And they weren't about wealth.
They were about protecting me.
Grandpa began crying quietly.
I wiped my eyes.
Then unfolded the second page.
It listed several companies.
One name appeared repeatedly.
R. BENNETT MANAGEMENT.
I looked up.
"Raymond Bennett?"
Grandpa nodded.
"Your uncle."
My stomach twisted.
Then I noticed a handwritten note at the bottom.
"Original documents secured separately. If anything happens to me, contact Eleanor Price."
I frowned.
"Who's Eleanor Price?"
Grandpa looked toward Aunt Josephine.
She nodded slowly.
Arthur took a breath.
"She was your father's attorney."
My heart jumped.
"Is she alive?"
"Yes."
"Where is she?"
"Atlanta."
I stared at him.
"Then why haven't we talked to her?"
Grandpa looked ashamed.
"Because Raymond convinced me the accusations were misunderstandings."
I shook my head.
"Did Eleanor agree?"
He hesitated.
"I never asked."
I felt something break inside me.
For twenty-seven years, the truth may have been sitting in an attorney's office.
And nobody had bothered to retrieve it.
I folded the letter carefully.
Then looked at Grandpa.
"I'm going to find her."
He nodded.
"I know."
Malik suddenly stepped forward.
"Wait."
I turned.
He looked pale.
"What happens to me?"
I stared at him.
"What?"
"The trust."
His voice shook.
"If Dad did something wrong, what happens to my inheritance?"
I couldn't believe him.
My father's death had just been questioned.
And Malik was worried about money.
I looked at him.
"Malik, I don't know."
He swallowed.
"Grandpa removed me because of Dad?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
Malik looked stunned.
"Then why?"
Grandpa's expression hardened.
"Because of something you did three years ago."
My cousin went completely still.
Aunt Josephine looked toward him.
Then whispered, "Arthur, not here."
Grandpa ignored her.
He looked directly at Malik.
"Tell Isaiah what happened to his mother's property."
My heart stopped.
"My mother's property?"
Malik turned pale.
May you like
And suddenly, I understood that the secrets in our family hadn't ended with my father's death.
Someone had been taking things from me long after he was gone.
