Chapter 6
The Woman My Father Trusted
Dr. Olivia Grant arrived in Atlanta three days later.
She walked into Rebecca's conference room wearing a charcoal-gray suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
At seventy-one, she still had the confident posture of someone who had spent decades negotiating with powerful executives.
The moment she saw me, her expression softened.
"Ethan."
I stood.
She hugged me tightly.
For a second, I felt like the boy who used to sit beside my father while Olivia visited our workshop.
"You look just like James," she whispered.
My throat tightened.
"I wish he were here."
She stepped back.
"So do I."
Marcus entered the room carrying the original engineering records.
Rebecca followed with several legal folders.
We spent the next three hours examining the Raven trust, the purported transfer documents, and the company records.
Olivia listened carefully.
She asked precise questions.
Who had authorized access?
When had the documents been signed?
What approvals were required?
Which records could establish the true chain of ownership?
I watched her work with growing admiration.
My father had chosen her for a reason.
She wasn't interested in arguments.
She wanted facts.
Finally, she closed the folder.
"The central question is whether anyone had the authority to make this transfer."
Rebecca nodded.
"And whether the electronic signature was obtained or used improperly."
Olivia turned toward me.
"Your father deliberately created safeguards because he knew the commercial pressure around a project like this could become enormous."
I looked down.
"He was afraid of Ryan."
She considered the statement.
"He was afraid Ryan might make choices based on resentment instead of judgment."
I swallowed.
"There's a difference?"
"Yes."
Olivia leaned forward.
"Your father never stopped loving your brother. But love didn't make him blind."
Her words stayed with me.
For months, I had been struggling with the possibility that confronting Ryan meant betraying my family.
Olivia helped me understand something different.
Protecting our father's work was not an act against Ryan.
Ryan's decisions had created the conflict.
I was simply refusing to help him conceal it.
After the meeting, Olivia asked to see the car.
We drove to the workshop together.
The engineering team had completed the first stage of its security review.
No evidence of unauthorized physical modification had been found.
However, testing remained suspended until the full technical assessment was complete.
When Olivia entered the engineering bay, she stopped.
The Raven X1 stood beneath the lights.
Its wide matte-black body seemed to fill the room.
The red leather interior glowed through the side window.
The enormous rear wing stretched across the back.
Olivia placed a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, James."
I looked at her.
Tears were running down her face.
She approached the car slowly.
Then she touched the carbon-fiber panel beside the front wheel.
"He used to send me sketches," she whispered.
I smiled sadly.
"He sent everyone sketches."
She laughed through her tears.
"At three in the morning."
"Especially at three in the morning."
We stood together in silence.
Then Olivia turned toward me.
"He would be proud of you."
I looked away.
"I don't know."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I let this happen."
Her expression changed.
"Ethan, you trusted your brother."
I stared at the floor.
"And my wife."
"Trusting people you love is not a moral failure."
I swallowed.
"But I should have noticed."
"Maybe. You can learn from that without taking responsibility for their choices."
For the first time in weeks, I felt something loosen inside my chest.
I had been carrying guilt that belonged to other people.
Olivia looked toward the car.
"Now tell me something."
I turned.
"What?"
"Is the Raven actually as extraordinary as James believed?"
Despite everything, I smiled.
"Better."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Prove it when the engineers clear the testing program."
I laughed.
"I intend to."
The following afternoon, Rebecca received a formal response from Blackstone.
The company denied wrongdoing and insisted that the transfer agreement was enforceable.
Its attorney proposed a confidential meeting.
Olivia agreed to attend with Rebecca and me.
The meeting took place in a downtown office building.
Across the table sat three representatives of Blackstone.
Their lead executive, Charles Monroe, was a polished man in his late fifties.
He spoke calmly and smiled frequently.
But I didn't trust him.
Charles began by praising the Raven X1.
He described its commercial potential and the value of its unique design.
Then he leaned back.
"We believe a partnership could be profitable for everyone."
I looked at him.
"A partnership based on documents I never authorized?"
His smile tightened.
"We understand there is a disagreement."
Olivia spoke before I could.
"There is a material dispute concerning authority, authenticity, and ownership. That is not simply a disagreement."
Charles turned toward her.
"We're prepared to negotiate."
Rebecca opened the trust documents.
"Then you should first explain why your company accepted an assignment without obtaining the approvals required under the governing arrangements."
Charles said nothing.
For the first time, his confident expression faded.
One of his attorneys leaned toward him and whispered.
The meeting continued for nearly an hour.
Blackstone offered to suspend certain commercial activities while the parties reviewed the documents.
Rebecca insisted on written commitments and preservation of records.
Olivia demanded that no further engineering material be copied or distributed.
The representatives eventually agreed to consider the proposed terms.
When we left, I felt cautiously hopeful.
Then Charles approached me near the elevator.
"Ethan, one word."
Rebecca remained beside me.
Charles lowered his voice.
"Your brother created a very difficult situation."
I stared at him.
"Then why did you pay him?"
His expression changed.
"We believed he had authority."
I didn't answer.
He continued.
"If he misrepresented the situation, that's a separate matter."
I studied him.
"Are you saying Ryan lied to you?"
Charles glanced toward Rebecca.
"I'm saying our company will protect its interests."
Then he walked away.
I watched him disappear into the hallway.
For the first time, I wondered whether Blackstone had known less than Ryan claimed.
Or whether Charles was simply looking for someone to blame.
That evening, Olivia joined me for dinner at a quiet restaurant.
We talked about my father.
His terrible singing.
His habit of buying broken engines because he believed every machine deserved another chance.
And the way he would spend hours explaining a mechanical problem to anyone willing to listen.
Then Olivia asked about Vanessa.
I looked down.
"We're separating."
She nodded.
"I'm sorry."
I stared at my untouched food.
"I keep wondering whether she ever loved me."
Olivia considered her answer.
"She may have loved parts of the life you shared. But her choices showed that she valued something else more when it mattered."
I closed my eyes.
The truth hurt.
But it was better than another comforting lie.
When I returned home, Vanessa's suitcase was gone.
She had left a short note on the kitchen counter.
It said she needed time.
Nothing more.
I stood alone in the kitchen.
The house felt enormous.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Marcus appeared.
The independent technical team had completed its review.
The Raven X1's safety-critical systems had passed the required checks.
Testing could resume under the approved procedures.
I smiled for the first time that evening.
Then another message arrived.
This one was from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of the Raven X1 inside our workshop.
Below it were seven words.
THE NEXT TEST WILL BE YOUR LAST.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
My smile vanished.
Someone wasn't finished trying to frighten me.
