Chapter 4: The Man Who Came Back
Marcus stopped beneath the courtyard lights.
For a moment, Jasmine didn't move.
Neither did Adrian.
The man standing twenty feet away looked older than the photographs Jasmine had shown him. His hair was cut close to his scalp now, streaked with gray at the temples. He wore a charcoal jacket over a white shirt, polished shoes, and the kind of calm expression that made Adrian's skin crawl.
He looked like a man who had rehearsed this moment.
Marcus glanced at Jasmine first.
“There you are.””
Jasmine's shoulders tightened.
“Dad.””
The word struck Adrian harder than he expected.
Marcus smiled.
“I've been trying to get you away from all this for a long time.””
Adrian stepped between them.
“You've done enough.””
Marcus looked at him.
Then he smiled again.
“Adrian.””
“You don't get to walk back into her life and rewrite fourteen years.””
Marcus's expression barely changed.
“I didn't rewrite anything.””
“You disappeared.””
“I was forced to.””
“You left a child.””
“I left because staying would have gotten her killed.””
Jasmine's face went pale.
“What?””
Marcus looked at her.
“I told you there were things your mother never explained.””
Adrian's hand tightened around the documents.
“You're not putting this on her.””
Marcus laughed softly.
“You still protect her.””
“I raised her.””
“No.””
Marcus's voice sharpened.
“You financed her. You fed her. You drove her to school. But you didn't know her history.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“I know enough.””
“Do you?””
Marcus's eyes dropped to the document in Adrian's hand.
“Then you saw it.””
Adrian held it up.
“This signature is forged.””
Marcus nodded.
“Exactly.””
Jasmine looked between them.
“What is that?””
Adrian didn't answer.
Marcus did.
“Your mother's name is on a transfer agreement.””
Monique's voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Stop.””
Everyone turned.
She stood near the auditorium steps.
She had followed Adrian after all.
Her face was drained of color.
Marcus looked at her.
“You should have told her years ago.””
Monique shook her head.
“Not here.””
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“Then where?””
“Please.””
Jasmine stared at her mother.
“Mom?””
Monique looked at her daughter.
“I can explain.””
Marcus gave a bitter laugh.
“You've had fourteen years to explain.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What exactly happened?””
Marcus's expression hardened.
“Ask her.””
Adrian turned to Monique.
She couldn't look at him.
“Monique.””
She finally raised her eyes.
“I signed something.””
“What?””
“A custody agreement.””
Jasmine's mouth fell open.
“When?””
“Before Marcus left.””
“Why?””
Monique wiped her cheek.
“Because someone threatened us.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Not someone.””
He pointed toward the document.
“Your grandfather.””
Adrian frowned.
“What does her grandfather have to do with this?””
Marcus looked at Jasmine.
“Everything.””
Jasmine shook her head.
“My grandfather died when I was six.””
“I know.””
Marcus's voice softened.
“He left behind a company. Property. Investments.””
Adrian stared at him.
“What does that have to do with Jasmine?””
Marcus looked at the papers.
“She was the beneficiary.””
Jasmine blinked.
“What?””
Marcus nodded.
“Your grandfather created a trust for you.””
Monique closed her eyes.
Adrian felt something cold settle in his chest.
“How much?””
Marcus looked at him.
“Enough to change all of our lives.””
Jasmine shook her head.
“No.””
Marcus continued.
“Your grandfather knew your mother and I were having problems. He didn't trust either of us with the money. So he created a trust that Jasmine couldn't access until she graduated from college.””
Adrian looked at the graduation gown.
“Today.””
Marcus nodded.
“Today.””
Jasmine stared at her mother.
“You knew?””
Monique's silence was answer enough.
Jasmine stepped backward.
“You knew I had money?””
“It wasn't like that,” Monique said.
“Then what was it like?””
“I was trying to protect you.””
“You lied to me.””
“I was scared.””
“You lied!””
Her voice echoed across the courtyard.
A few people farther away turned.
Adrian looked at Marcus.
“And you?””
Marcus nodded toward the document.
“I tried to protect the trust.””
Adrian scoffed.
“By disappearing?””
“By taking the blame.””
“For what?””
Marcus hesitated.
“For stealing from it.””
Jasmine stared at him.
“You stole from my trust?””
“No.””
Marcus looked at Monique.
“She did.””
Monique's knees nearly buckled.
“Marcus.””
Jasmine's face changed.
“Mom?””
Monique whispered, “I borrowed money.””
“How much?””
“Not from the trust.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You used the trust as collateral.””
Adrian stepped forward.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It does if you know what happened next,” Marcus said.
He pulled a folded paper from his jacket.
“The bank discovered the account was being drained.””
Adrian looked at the document.
“Who was withdrawing the money?””
Marcus looked directly at Monique.
“She was.””
Jasmine covered her mouth.
“No.””
Monique started crying.
“I didn't have a choice.””
“You always say that,” Marcus said.
“You don't know what happened.””
“I know exactly what happened.””
Adrian looked at Monique.
“Why?””
She shook her head.
“I needed to pay people.””
“What people?””
She didn't answer.
Marcus did.
“The people threatening him.””
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“What?””
Marcus pointed at himself.
“They were after me because of my debts. But when they learned about Jasmine's trust, they wanted access to it.””
He looked at Jasmine.
“I refused.””
“So you left?”” Adrian asked.
Marcus nodded.
“If I stayed, they would have used me to get to her.””
“And you thought abandoning her would protect her?””
“I thought making them believe I was gone would.””
Jasmine's voice trembled.
“Why didn't you come back?””
Marcus looked at her.
“Because every time I tried, someone made sure I knew they were watching.””
“Who?””
Marcus didn't answer.
Adrian noticed.
“Who?””
Marcus's eyes shifted toward the parking lot.
“There were two men involved.””
“Names.””
“One is dead.””
“And the other?””
Marcus looked at Monique.
She whispered the name.
“Darren.””
Adrian's blood ran cold.
He knew that name.
Darren Cole had been his accountant for almost a decade.
The same man who had handled Adrian's business paperwork.
The same man who had helped him refinance the house.
The same man who had prepared Jasmine's tuition payments.
Adrian stared at Marcus.
“You're telling me Darren was involved?””
Marcus nodded.
“He was the one moving the money.””
Adrian looked at the forged signature again.
Suddenly, dozens of small details he'd ignored began connecting.
The strange bank statements.
The refinancing paperwork.
The missing account records.
Darren always insisting Adrian didn't need to worry about the numbers.
Adrian's voice dropped.
“How much?””
Marcus answered.
“Three hundred and eighty thousand dollars.””
Jasmine gasped.
Monique covered her face.
Adrian stared at her.
“You let me pay tuition while three hundred eighty thousand dollars was being taken from her trust?””
“I didn't know how much he took.””
“You knew money was missing.””
“I knew something was wrong.””
“You let me work two jobs.””
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
Monique cried harder.
“When it was safe.””
Marcus shook his head.
“It was never going to be safe.””
Then a phone rang.
Everyone froze.
It was Jasmine's.
She looked down.
Unknown number.
The call stopped.
A message appeared.
Jasmine opened it.
Her face drained of color.
“What does it say?”” Adrian asked.
She slowly turned the screen toward him.
There was a photograph.
Adrian's house.
Taken that afternoon.
The caption beneath it contained only six words.
*You should have left this alone.*
Adrian looked toward the parking lot.
Marcus immediately grabbed Jasmine's arm.
“Get behind me.””
Adrian stepped toward them.
“Who sent it?””
Marcus stared at the screen.
May you like
Then his expression changed.
“I know exactly who.””