Chapter 14 - THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL

Every eye turned toward Martin.

He looked like a man carrying a weight too heavy to hold anymore.

“Martin.”

My voice was quiet.

“Tell me.”

He didn’t answer.

That was the worst part.

Because silence was no longer protection.

Silence was another lie.

Richard laughed.

“You still don’t know, do you?”

I looked at him.

“Know what?”

“That Martin wasn’t protecting you.”

Richard stepped forward.

“He was protecting himself.”

Martin closed his eyes.

“Jonathan…”

“No.”

I raised my hand.

“Not another excuse.”

My voice shook.

“I want the truth.”

Finally…

Martin broke.

“I made the first mistake.”

Hannah stared at him.

“What did you do?”

Martin sat down.

“I changed the numbers.”

The room went silent.

“What?”

“Fifteen years ago, Prescott Homes was in trouble.”

I looked confused.

“We were making millions.”

“On paper.”

Those words hit me.

Martin continued.

“We had projects failing.”

Money disappearing.

Investors getting nervous.”

My face hardened.

“So you hid it.”

He nodded.

“I moved money around.”

“You lied.”

“Yes.”

“Then Richard found out.”

“Yes.”

Martin looked at me.

“And he used it against me.”

---

Everything suddenly made sense.

The hidden accounts.

The fake documents.

The threats.

Richard didn’t create the weakness.

He found it.

And he used it.

“I didn’t want Elizabeth involved.”

Martin’s voice broke.

“She found the records.”

“She was going to tell me.”

“Yes.”

“Then what happened?”

Martin looked at the floor.

“I followed her that night.”

My heart stopped.

“Why?”

“Because I wanted the evidence back.”

Hannah covered her mouth.

“You followed her?”

“Yes.”

“And the accident?”

Martin started crying.

“I was there.”

The room went silent.

“I saw the car.”

“Did you cause it?”

“No.”

His answer came immediately.

“I swear.”

I wanted to believe him.

But I had learned something.

Belief without proof was how I got here.

---

Richard stepped forward.

“See?”

He smiled.

“Everyone around you has lied.”

I looked at him.

“You included.”

His smile disappeared.

“You think I’m the villain?”

“Yes.”

He laughed.

“You have no idea what your family did to me.”

“Then tell me.”

Richard looked at me.

“My father lost everything because of your company.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“Your first big contract.”

I remembered.

A construction deal.

A company went bankrupt.

Richard’s father was the owner.

But I had nothing to do with that.

Or at least…

I thought I didn’t.

Richard pulled out another document.

“You signed it.”

I looked.

My signature.

Again.

But this time…

it was real.

I had forgotten.

A decision I made thirty years ago.

A contract that protected my company.

But destroyed another family.

I stared at the paper.

“I didn’t know.”

Richard nodded.

“That’s your problem, Jonathan.”

His voice became colder.

“You never know.”

---

For the first time, I understood Richard’s anger.

But understanding someone’s pain did not excuse what they did.

“You hurt my daughter.”

Richard looked away.

“You hurt mine.”

“What daughter?”

His face changed.

A small crack in the anger.

“My daughter died because of that contract.”

Silence.

Nobody spoke.

Then Richard whispered:

“I lost everything.”

I looked at him.

“And you decided to destroy everyone I love?”

He didn’t answer.

Because that was the truth.

---

Suddenly, police sirens filled the street.

Richard looked toward the window.

Confused.

“What is this?”

I looked at Hannah.

She smiled slightly.

“I called them before we entered.”

Richard’s face changed.

For the first time…

he looked afraid.

The police rushed inside.

But before they reached him…

Richard smiled.

Because he knew something we didn’t.

“Check your company accounts.”

He looked at me.

“The final transfer already happened.”

My blood went cold.

“What?”

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Richard smiled.

“Your company is no longer yours.”