Chapter 6
I sat across from Maya at the kitchen table.
Claire sat beside her.
Nia remained near the doorway.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then I asked the question that had been burning in my mind.
"Why would Veronica want Malik out of this house?"
Maya stared at her hands.
"I don't know."
I took a slow breath.
"Maya, I need the truth."
She began crying.
"Aunt Veronica said things would be easier without him."
"Easier for whom?"
She shrugged.
"For Mom and me."
Claire turned toward her.
"What exactly did my sister tell you?"
Maya looked frightened.
"She said Marcus would never put us first as long as Malik lived here."
I felt my stomach tighten.
Claire shook her head.
"That's not true."
Maya looked at her.
"She said Dad's house would always belong to his first family."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The same poison Veronica had been feeding Claire.
But now she'd fed it to a sixteen-year-old girl.
A child already frightened by a dangerous online situation.
I looked at Maya.
"Did Veronica know about Terrence?"
She nodded slowly.
Claire gasped.
"What?"
Maya wiped her cheeks.
"I told her."
"When?" I asked.
"Two weeks ago."
I stared at her.
"Why did you tell Veronica instead of us?"
Maya whispered, "Because she said she'd help."
My heart pounded.
"What kind of help?"
"She said she knew someone who could make the problem disappear."
I felt cold.
"Who?"
Maya shook her head.
"I never met him."
Then she added something that made my stomach drop.
"She said I needed to make Malik give me the money first."
Claire covered her mouth.
"Oh my God."
I stared at Maya.
"Did Veronica know you planned to accuse Malik?"
She nodded.
"She suggested it."
My hands tightened.
I forced myself to remain calm.
"What exactly did she say?"
Maya swallowed.
"She said if Malik refused to help, I could tell Mom he came into my room."
Claire began crying.
"No."
Maya continued.
"She said Mom would believe me and Dad would have to make Malik leave."
I sat back.
My chest hurt.
Someone I had welcomed into my home had encouraged my stepdaughter to weaponize a serious accusation against my son.
I looked at Claire.
She was shaking.
"I didn't know," she whispered.
I believed her.
The earlier recording showed her rejecting Maya's suggestion.
But Claire had still allowed Veronica's resentment to influence our household.
And the consequences were devastating.
I stood.
"I'm calling Raymond."
Claire looked up.
"Why?"
"Because Malik needs somewhere safe to stay while we deal with this."
Her eyes filled.
"Marcus, please don't separate the family."
I turned toward her.
"Claire, the family is already hurting."
She began crying harder.
"We can fix this."
"Maybe. But not by forcing Malik to stay somewhere he feels threatened."
I walked upstairs.
Malik was packing a duffel bag.
He looked up when I entered.
"Dad?"
I sat beside him.
"Uncle Raymond is coming."
He nodded.
"Okay."
I hesitated.
"Son, we've learned more about what happened."
He looked at me.
"About Maya?"
"And Veronica."
His expression darkened.
"What did she do?"
I explained what Maya had admitted.
Malik listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he stared at the floor.
"So Veronica wanted me gone."
I nodded.
"That's what it appears."
He laughed bitterly.
"Guess she finally found a way."
I shook my head.
"No."
He looked up.
"Malik, you're leaving temporarily because you asked for space. Not because someone pushed you out."
His eyes filled.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes."
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"This will always be your home."
He stared at me.
Then he whispered, "I hope so."
That hurt more than anything else.
A few minutes later, Raymond arrived.
He hugged Malik tightly.
Then he looked at me.
"We'll take good care of him."
I nodded.
"I know."
Malik carried his bag downstairs.
Claire stood near the front door.
She looked devastated.
"Malik?"
He stopped.
She wiped her cheeks.
"I'm sorry."
He stared at her.
She continued.
"I reacted before hearing you. I told you to leave. That was wrong."
Malik looked down.
"I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything."
He nodded.
Then he walked outside.
I watched him climb into Raymond's car.
My son didn't wave goodbye.
He simply stared through the window as they drove away.
I stood in the doorway long after the car disappeared.
Then I turned toward Claire.
"We need to talk."
She nodded.
I led her into the living room.
Nia remained upstairs.
Maya was in her bedroom.
For the first time all day, Claire and I were alone.
I sat across from her.
"Do you still believe Veronica has our best interests at heart?"
Claire shook her head.
"No."
"Then why did you keep listening to her?"
She began crying.
"Because I was scared."
"Of what?"
"That you would never love Maya the way you love Malik and Nia."
I stared at her.
"Claire, I've treated Maya like my daughter."
"I know."
"I opened my home to her."
"I know."
"I paid for her school, helped her with driving lessons, took her to appointments."
"I know, Marcus."
"Then why wasn't that enough?"
She covered her face.
"Because Veronica kept telling me that love wasn't the same as security."
I took a deep breath.
"She was turning our family into a competition."
Claire nodded.
"I see that now."
I leaned back.
"Then we need to find out what else she's been doing."
Claire wiped her cheeks.
"What do you mean?"
I looked at the photograph sent by Terrence.
Then at the messages Maya had shown us.
Something bothered me.
Terrence had known to target Malik.
Veronica had told Maya how to pressure him.
And someone had been encouraging Claire to question my estate plan.
The timing felt too convenient.
I didn't know whether the events were connected.
But I couldn't ignore the possibility.
I contacted the officer handling Maya's threats and told him about Veronica's involvement.
He agreed to document the information.
The next morning, Nia found another message in the living room recording archive.
It showed Veronica speaking privately with Maya.
I watched the video carefully.
Veronica leaned toward my stepdaughter.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"Once Malik leaves, your mother will finally have some control over this house."
Maya looked uncertain.
"What about Marcus?"
Veronica smiled.
"He'll do whatever Claire tells him. He always does."
I paused the recording.
I stared at the screen.
Then Nia whispered, "Dad, there's more."
I looked at her.
She swallowed.
"Veronica didn't come here alone that day."
My stomach tightened.
"Who was with her?"
Nia showed me another clip from the security archive.
A man entered through the front door.
He wore a dark jacket.
His face was partly turned away.
But I recognized him from the picture Maya had shown us.
Terrence Wallace.
May you like
I stared at the screen.
And suddenly, I knew Veronica's involvement was much deeper than we'd imagined.
