Chapter 4: The Brother Behind the Betrayal
Richard Brooks read the name one more time.
*THOMAS BROOKS — STRATEGIC ADVISOR, CRESTWELL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.*
For several seconds, nobody in the private reception room moved.
Vanessa looked at her father.
“Dad, who's Thomas Brooks?””
Richard slowly placed the tablet on the coffee table.
“My younger brother.””
Vanessa's lips parted.
“Uncle Thomas?””
Richard nodded.
She looked confused.
“But I thought he was still in Chicago. You told me he was working on commercial properties.””
“He was.””
“Then why is his name on that document?””
Richard didn't answer immediately.
He walked toward the window, staring at the manicured gardens outside the club.
Thomas had always been different.
Growing up, Richard had been the responsible one. Thomas had been charming, ambitious, and endlessly frustrated by the fact that their father trusted Richard with the family business.
When Samuel Brooks died, Richard had offered his younger brother a position in the foundation.
Thomas refused.
He wanted control, not responsibility.
Their relationship deteriorated after Thomas accused Richard of receiving preferential treatment in their father's will.
They hadn't spoken properly in nearly four years.
Now his name was connected to a proposal that could threaten the foundation.
James Carter broke the silence.
“Richard, we need to establish whether Thomas was acting independently or whether someone authorized him to negotiate on behalf of the family.””
Richard nodded.
“Agreed.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“There's something else you should know.””
Arthur looked at him.
“What now?””
Daniel opened another folder.
“Ms. Harrington received several calls from Mr. Thomas over the past two weeks. I handled some of them because she was frequently away from her office.””
Richard turned.
“How many calls?””
“Six. Maybe seven.””
“Did you hear their conversations?””
“Not directly. But I saw the emails afterward.””
James took the tablet.
“Were those emails deleted?””
Daniel shook his head.
“I saved copies.””
Arthur looked at Daniel with disappointment.
“You've been keeping records of your manager's communications and never reported any of this?””
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I was afraid, sir.””
Richard's voice remained controlled.
“Fear explains silence, Daniel. It doesn't excuse helping someone hurt my daughter.””
Daniel nodded.
“I understand.””
Vanessa shifted Amara gently against her shoulder.
“Dad, why would Uncle Thomas want me removed from the luncheon?””
Richard looked at her.
“I don't know yet.””
“But I was only going to introduce the foundation's new program.””
James answered.
“That's exactly why your presence may have mattered.””
He opened the development proposal.
“According to this document, Crestwell planned to acquire a portion of the club's property. The foundation's partnership agreement includes a clause protecting the facilities used for community services.””
Arthur nodded.
“That's correct. The foundation has guaranteed access to the east wing and two adjacent buildings for twenty years.””
James continued.
“If the club announces the partnership publicly, that agreement becomes much harder to alter without attracting scrutiny.””
Vanessa frowned.
“So they wanted the luncheon to happen without me?””
“Possibly,” James replied.
“If the announcement was postponed, they might have had more time to push the development proposal through.””
Richard looked at the document again.
“And my brother was helping them.””
Arthur rubbed his forehead.
“Richard, there's something I haven't told you.””
Richard turned.
“I'm listening.””
“Three weeks ago, Thomas approached me with an offer to purchase the club's outstanding development rights. He said he represented a private investment group.””
“Did you approve it?””
“No.””
“Did you tell him the Brooks Foundation had a protected agreement?””
“Yes. He said he already knew.””
Richard's jaw tightened.
“Then he knew exactly what he was trying to undermine.””
Arthur nodded.
“I refused to proceed without a full board review. Two days later, Victoria started insisting that the foundation's partnership was creating unnecessary complications.””
Vanessa stared at him.
“And you let her continue managing the club?””
Arthur looked ashamed.
“I believed she was simply being difficult. I didn't understand the connection.””
Richard picked up his phone.
He scrolled through his contacts until he found Thomas's number.
Vanessa recognized the name.
“Dad, are you calling him?””
“Yes.””
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
On the fourth ring, someone answered.
“Richard.””
Thomas's voice sounded relaxed.
Almost amused.
“It's been a while.””
Richard looked at James.
“Where are you?””
“Why?””
“I asked you a question.””
Thomas chuckled.
“Still giving orders, big brother?””
Richard's grip tightened around the phone.
“Your name appears on a document connected to Crestwell Development Partners.””
There was a pause.
Then Thomas sighed.
“So you've finally seen it.””
Vanessa looked up sharply.
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
“It means someone was bound to tell you eventually.””
“Did you arrange for Vanessa's name to be removed from the guest list?””
Thomas laughed softly.
“Vanessa? What does she have to do with this?””
“She was assaulted at Sterling Oaks today.””
The laughter stopped.
“What?””
“Your niece was struck in the face while holding her newborn.””
“Richard, I don't know anything about that.””
“Your name is on the development proposal.””
“Business is business.””
Richard's voice dropped.
“Don't you dare use that phrase to explain what happened to my daughter.””
Thomas sighed.
“You always do this. You turn every disagreement into a family tragedy.””
“Did you ask Victoria Harrington to remove Vanessa from the guest list?””
A long silence followed.
Then Thomas said something that made Richard's expression change.
“I told Victoria to keep the luncheon from becoming a circus.””
Richard stared at the phone.
“What circus?””
“Your daughter standing in front of everyone, announcing that your family controls part of the property. You know how that would look.””
Vanessa stood.
“Dad, put him on speaker.””
Richard did.
Thomas's voice filled the room.
“Look, I didn't ask anyone to slap anybody. If Victoria lost her temper, that's her problem.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Hello, Uncle Thomas.””
The other end went silent.
“Vanessa?””
“Yes. Your niece. The one you haven't visited since my wedding.””
Thomas cleared his throat.
“I didn't know you were there.””
“You knew I was supposed to attend.””
“It's complicated.””
“No. It isn't.””
Her voice shook.
“I brought my daughter to a charity luncheon. Someone hit me. People laughed at me. And now I find out that my own uncle wanted me removed because he didn't want me talking about our family's investment.””
Thomas sounded irritated.
“Vanessa, you're young. You don't understand how these transactions work.””
She looked down at Amara.
“I'm old enough to understand that you knew something was wrong and didn't care.””
“That's not fair.””
“Neither was today.””
Richard ended the call.
For a moment, the room remained silent.
Then James closed the tablet.
“We have enough to begin a formal investigation.””
Richard nodded.
“Contact the board. I want an emergency meeting.””
Arthur stood.
“I'll arrange it.””
Daniel suddenly spoke.
“There's one more thing.””
Richard looked at him.
“What?””
Daniel opened his email again.
“Ms. Harrington sent a message this morning. She said that after the luncheon, the club would be announcing a new management partnership.””
“With whom?”” Arthur asked.
Daniel scrolled down.
“Crestwell Development Partners.””
Arthur frowned.
“That's impossible. The board never approved that.””
Daniel nodded.
“I know.””
He turned the screen around.
The email included an attachment titled:
*STERLING OAKS — TRANSITION AGREEMENT.*
At the bottom was a digital signature.
Arthur Whitmore.
Arthur stared at it.
Then he shook his head.
“That's not my signature.””
Richard leaned forward.
“Are you certain?””
Arthur's face turned pale.
“Absolutely.””
James examined the document.
“Then someone may have forged the chairman's authorization.””
Vanessa felt a chill move through her.
The woman who had slapped her wasn't simply protecting a guest list.
Someone had been using the club to push through a much larger deal.
And her father was beginning to realize that the person behind it might be willing to do anything to get what they wanted.
Richard looked at James.
“Find out who prepared this agreement.””
James nodded.
“I'll start immediately.””
But before he could close the document, another email appeared on Daniel's screen.
It had arrived less than a minute earlier.
The sender was Thomas Brooks.
The subject line contained only five words.
*WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT VANESSA.*
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And the message beneath it was even more disturbing.
If Richard has seen the original documents, make sure his daughter doesn't leave the club with them.