Chapter 6: The Man Who Returned for My Inheritance
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw another document.
Another signature.
Another account.
Another piece of my father's life that had apparently been taken from me before I was old enough to understand what inheritance meant.
By morning, I had reached one conclusion.
I needed to meet my uncle.
Not through a lawyer.
Not through another financial statement.
Face-to-face.
Richard agreed to arrange the meeting.
But before he could make the call, someone arrived at the house.
At 9:15 a.m., the doorbell rang.
I was sitting at the dining table with Laura, reviewing the documents she had collected.
Richard opened the door.
A tall Black man in his early sixties stood outside wearing a dark gray overcoat. His hair was mostly silver, and he carried a polished leather briefcase.
He looked familiar.
Not because I remembered him clearly.
Because I had seen photographs.
“Richard,” he said.
Richard's face hardened.
“Thomas.””
My uncle stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.
Then his eyes found me.
“Maya.””
I stood.
“Hello.””
He looked me up and down.
“You've grown up.””
I didn't respond.
He placed his briefcase on the dining table.
“I suppose we should talk.””
Laura stood.
“Before we begin, I'm Laura Bennett. I'm representing Maya independently.””
Thomas glanced at her.
“Of course. I expected that.””
Richard crossed his arms.
“You bought the company.””
Thomas removed his coat.
“I acquired a controlling interest.””
“Using what money?””
Thomas smiled faintly.
“Money from a legitimate business transaction.””
Laura opened her folder.
“The shares were held in a trust established for Maya Brooks. We have not found evidence of authorization for their sale.””
Thomas sat down.
“That's a misunderstanding.””
I looked at him.
“Then explain it.””
He turned toward me.
“Your father and I had a complicated relationship. When Daniel died, the business was struggling. Your mother didn't know how to manage it.””
“That's not what I asked.””
He paused.
I continued.
“Were the shares supposed to belong to me?””
Thomas looked at Laura.
Then back at me.
“Technically, yes.””
“Then how did you buy them?””
He opened his briefcase.
“Your mother signed the necessary transfer documents.””
Laura immediately leaned forward.
“Under what authority?””
Thomas slid a paper across the table.
“This agreement.””
Laura examined it.
Her expression didn't change, but she read it twice.
“Where did you obtain this document?””
“From Denise.””
Richard stepped closer.
“What does it say?””
Laura turned the paper around.
“It claims that Maya authorized Denise to transfer the shares as her legal representative.””
I stared at the page.
There was my name again.
And another signature that looked almost like mine.
I felt my stomach turn.
“I never signed this.””
Thomas sighed.
“I understand this is emotional for you.””
“Emotional?””
I leaned forward.
“You bought my father's company with a signature I never made.””
He looked at me.
“Your mother assured me everything was properly authorized.””
I pointed at the document.
“Then why didn't you contact me?””
Thomas didn't answer.
Richard let out a bitter laugh.
“Because he knew exactly what he was doing.””
Thomas turned toward him.
“Don't make accusations.””
“Then answer the question.””
Thomas closed his briefcase.
“I didn't come here to argue.””
Laura spoke calmly.
“Mr. Brooks, the validity of this transfer is disputed. Until the records are independently reviewed, you should avoid further transfers, sales, or encumbrances involving the shares.””
Thomas gave a small smile.
“I'll consider that advice.””
He stood.
Then he looked at me.
“Your mother has been trying to protect you from a difficult situation.””
I stared at him.
“By selling something that belonged to me?””
He sighed.
“Your father made a lot of promises. Some of them were unrealistic.””
I felt my hands tighten.
“You didn't know him well enough to tell me what he promised.””
For the first time, Thomas's expression changed.
His eyes narrowed.
“You sound just like him.””
I stood.
“Good.””
He picked up his coat.
Then he said something quietly enough that only I could hear.
“Ask your mother what happened the night your father died.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
He adjusted his sleeve.
“You may discover that the money isn't the only thing she lied about.””
Then he walked out.
Richard immediately turned toward Laura.
“Did you hear that?””
Laura nodded.
“Every word.””
I looked at them.
“What happened the night my father died?””
Richard rubbed his jaw.
“Your mother told me Daniel died in a car accident while driving home from work.””
“That's what I've always been told.””
Laura closed her folder.
“Then we need the original death records and estate documents.””
Richard nodded.
“I'll contact the attorney who handled Daniel's estate.””
I stared at the front door.
My uncle had known something.
Something he had deliberately kept from me.
That afternoon, I went upstairs to find Denise.
Her bedroom door was open.
She was packing a suitcase.
Clothes were spread across the bed, and a jewelry box sat open beside her handbag.
I stood in the doorway.
“Where are you going?””
She turned sharply.
“Maya.””
“Are you leaving?””
“I need some space.””
“From what?””
She placed a blouse into the suitcase.
“Your father has made this house unbearable.””
I stepped inside.
“Did you sell my father's company to Thomas?””
She stopped.
“It's not that simple.””
“Did you?””
“Yes.””
The answer came so quickly that I almost stumbled.
“Why?””
“Because the company was in financial trouble.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you were too young to understand.””
“I'm twenty-three, Mom.””
She zipped the suitcase halfway.
“You've always been difficult when it comes to money.””
I stared at her.
“I'm difficult?””
She shook her head.
“You don't understand the pressure I was under.””
“What pressure?””
Denise looked at me.
“Your father left debts.””
I frowned.
“Richard?””
“No. Daniel.””
I felt the room tilt.
“My biological father?””
She nodded.
“His company owed money. He had made financial commitments that weren't being met. There were people demanding payment.””
“Then why did you tell me he left me an inheritance?””
“Because he did.””
“Then where did it go?””
She turned away.
For several seconds, the only sound was the zipper of her suitcase.
Then she said:
“Your father had a business partner who threatened to ruin us.””
“Who?””
She closed her eyes.
“Thomas.””
I stared at her.
“You knew?””
“He and Daniel had been fighting for months before the accident.””
My throat tightened.
“About what?””
Denise turned toward me.
“The company. Money. Ownership. Your father wanted to remove Thomas from the business.””
I felt a chill spread through my arms.
“Why?””
“Because Daniel believed his brother was stealing from him.””
I stepped closer.
“And what happened the night Dad died?””
Denise's eyes filled with tears.
“He called me.””
“When?””
“About an hour before the accident.””
“What did he say?””
She looked toward the window.
“He told me he had discovered something. Something he was going to report the next morning.””
I could barely breathe.
“What did he discover?””
Denise pressed her lips together.
“I don't know.””
“Mom, please.””
She shook her head.
“He said he was coming home to explain everything. But he never made it.””
I felt tears gathering.
“Did the police investigate Thomas?””
Denise didn't answer.
“Did they?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
She looked directly at me.
“Because Thomas told the police that Daniel had been drinking.””
I stepped backward.
“My father didn't drink.””
Denise lowered her head.
“I know.””
The room became unbearably quiet.
Then I asked the question I had been afraid to ask.
“Did you believe him?””
Denise began crying.
“I didn't know what to believe.””
I stared at her.
“You knew your husband was being accused of something he didn't do, and you let everyone believe it?””
“I was scared!””
“Of Thomas?””
She nodded.
“He said if I challenged the official report, he'd make sure I lost everything.””
I felt my anger turn into something deeper.
My father had died.
His company had been taken.
His money had disappeared.
And the people who were supposed to protect me had allowed it all to happen.
I turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?”” Denise asked.
“To find out what really happened.””
She grabbed my wrist.
“Maya, please. Don't reopen this.””
I pulled my hand away.
“You should have thought about that before you started signing my name.””
At six that evening, Laura called.
She had obtained a copy of the original police report and several archived documents from the attorney who handled my father's estate.
“There's something unusual,” she said.
I sat down.
“What?””
“The police report lists an unidentified witness who contacted emergency services shortly before your father's accident.””
“Who was it?””
“The witness's name was never included in the public report.””
“Can you find out?””
Laura paused.
“I already did.””
My heart started beating faster.
“Who?””
“An employee from your father's company.””
“What's his name?””
Laura read it from her notes.
“Marcus Reed.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But Laura continued.
“He submitted a written statement claiming he saw another vehicle following your father's car shortly before the crash.””
I gripped the phone.
“Another vehicle?””
“Yes. A dark SUV.””
“Did he identify the driver?””
“No. But he gave a partial license plate number.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why wasn't this investigated?””
“That's what we're trying to establish.””
I looked toward the living room.
Richard was speaking quietly with Michael.
I walked over and put the call on speaker.
Laura continued.
“There's another problem. Marcus Reed disappeared from the company's records shortly after your father's death.””
Richard frowned.
“Disappeared?””
“He resigned two days after giving his statement. His final address is outdated, but I've located a possible current contact.””
I looked at Richard.
“Can we speak to him?””
Laura replied:
“I've already left a message.””
A few seconds later, her phone beeped.
She checked something.
Then her voice changed.
“Maya, I just received a response.””
“What did he say?””
Laura was silent for a moment.
Then she read the message.
I've waited twenty-three years for someone to ask about Daniel Brooks. Tell his daughter I'll meet her. But she needs to come alone.
I looked at Richard.
He immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
Laura agreed.
“I'm not recommending that Maya meet an unknown witness alone. We'll arrange a safe meeting with appropriate legal representation.””
Then another message arrived.
Laura read it aloud.
And tell her to bring the photograph of her father wearing the silver watch.
I froze.
The silver watch.
I remembered it from the few photographs I had of Daniel.
He wore it in almost every picture.
I looked at Richard.
“Dad, do you know about that watch?””
He nodded slowly.
“Your mother kept it after Daniel died.””
I turned toward the staircase.
“Where is it?””
Richard's expression darkened.
“It's in the locked cabinet in Denise's bedroom.””
I stared at him.
“Why would Marcus want to see it?””
Richard didn't answer.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent me a photograph.
It showed my biological father standing outside his company building, smiling at the camera.
On his wrist was the silver watch.
But there was something written on the back of the photograph.
A handwritten message.
If anything happens to me, the watch contains the truth.
I zoomed in on the image.
And suddenly, I understood why my mother had never allowed me to touch it.
Because the photograph wasn't the only thing that had survived my father's death.
May you like
The watch itself had never been returned to us.
And according to the message Marcus had just sent, someone had been searching for it for twenty-three years.
