Chapter 5
Daddy spent the next morning at his lawyer's office.
I stayed with Aunt Renee.
She made waffles for breakfast.
Usually, waffles made me happy.
But that day, I barely touched mine.
Aunt Renee noticed.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
I pushed a strawberry around my plate.
"I keep thinking about Noah."
She sat beside me.
"I know."
I looked up.
"Does he miss me?"
Her face softened.
"He's too little to understand everything."
I nodded.
"But babies know when people love them, right?"
She smiled sadly.
"They can feel gentle care."
I thought about his tiny hand.
The way his head rested against Daddy's arm.
The soft little noises he made.
Then I asked, "Can I still be his sister even if Daddy isn't his father?"
Aunt Renee took my hand.
"Families can be complicated."
I frowned.
"That's not an answer."
She laughed softly.
"You're right."
Then she grew serious.
"Being biologically related is one part of family. Love and care are another."
I looked down.
"So maybe?"
She nodded.
"Maybe. But the adults need to work out what's safe and appropriate."
I sighed.
I was getting tired of hearing about grown-up problems.
Grown-ups made the problems.
Then children had to wait while they fixed them.
It didn't seem fair.
Later that afternoon, Daddy came home.
His eyes were tired.
But he smiled when he saw me.
"Hey, princess."
I ran toward him.
He hugged me.
Then handed me a small paper bag.
Inside was the yellow teddy bear I'd bought for Noah.
I stared.
"Why do you have this?"
Daddy smiled sadly.
"You left it in my car."
I hugged the bear.
"I wanted to give it to him."
"I know."
I looked up.
"Can you give it to him for me?"
Daddy hesitated.
Then nodded.
"I'll try when there's an appropriate chance."
I smiled.
"Thank you."
That evening, Daddy and Aunt Renee spoke in the kitchen.
I sat nearby coloring.
They didn't tell me every detail.
But I heard enough to understand that Uncle Daniel had been taking money from Grandpa's trust for a long time.
Not just one transfer.
Several.
Daddy said the bank had found unusual payments.
Some went to companies connected to Daniel.
Others appeared to involve Claire.
I looked toward them.
"Did Claire steal money?"
Daddy turned.
His face softened.
"Maya, we're investigating that."
I nodded.
"Okay."
But I could tell he was worried.
The next day, something unexpected happened.
A woman named Simone Harris came to our house.
She worked at Daniel's accounting office.
She looked nervous.
She kept twisting the strap of her handbag.
Daddy invited her into the living room.
Aunt Renee stayed nearby.
I was supposed to be upstairs.
But I could hear their voices through the hallway.
Simone said she had been asked to prepare several documents.
She believed they were ordinary trust distributions.
Then she noticed that some approvals didn't match previous records.
She questioned Daniel.
He told her to stop worrying.
Later, Claire called the office.
She asked whether the paperwork had been completed.
Simone began to suspect something was wrong.
Then Daniel told her to delete an email chain.
That frightened her.
She saved copies instead.
Now she wanted to cooperate.
I heard Daddy ask, "Why are you telling me this?"
Simone's voice shook.
"Because I saw your daughter's photograph on his desk."
My stomach tightened.
Me?
Why would Uncle Daniel have my picture?
Daddy went quiet.
Simone continued.
"There were notes about your family."
I couldn't hear the rest.
But I heard Daddy's chair scrape backward.
Then he said something sharply.
"Are you telling me he was planning to involve Maya?"
I froze.
Aunt Renee appeared in the hallway moments later.
Her face was pale.
She saw me standing there.
"Maya?"
I swallowed.
"Why does Uncle Daniel have my picture?"
She knelt.
"Sweetheart, come with me."
I shook my head.
"No."
I felt tears rising.
"Why?"
Daddy stepped into the hallway.
His face changed when he saw me.
"Maya."
I looked at him.
"Did I do something wrong?"
He immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Then why does Uncle Daniel have my picture?"
Daddy took a breath.
"Because he's been thinking about our family in ways that aren't okay."
I didn't understand.
He knelt.
"Someone may have been trying to use information about you to pressure me."
My stomach twisted.
"Like threatening you?"
Daddy looked hurt.
"Something like that."
I began crying.
"I don't want anyone to hurt you."
He pulled me close.
"I know, baby."
Then he whispered, "You're not responsible for protecting me from grown-up problems."
I held him tightly.
For the first time, I realized that Daddy was frightened too.
Not of me.
Not of losing money.
Of what his own brother might do.
Later that night, Daddy's lawyer called again.
The bank had found another document.
It was a proposed agreement involving the family trust.
The document claimed Daddy had agreed to change how certain money would be distributed.
It also included a strange condition.
If Daddy challenged Daniel's authority, he would supposedly give up control of a property held for my future.
My grandfather had left money to help me attend college.
Daddy said that money was protected.
Now someone was trying to make it part of a fight between brothers.
I didn't understand why.
I only understood that Uncle Daniel was trying to take something that didn't belong to him.
Daddy looked toward the window.
Then whispered, "He planned this."
Aunt Renee nodded.
"It looks that way."
I stared at them.
Then asked quietly, "Did Claire know?"
Daddy looked down.
For a long moment, he didn't answer.
Finally, he said, "We're finding out."
But when his phone vibrated, I saw the name on the screen.
Claire.
He opened her message.
His expression became cold.
Then he showed it to Aunt Renee.
I couldn't read the whole thing.
But I saw the last sentence.
May you like
If you want Noah to remain part of your life, stop investigating Daniel.
And suddenly, I understood why Daddy looked more frightened than angry.
