Chapter 6 - The Son Who Knew Too Much|
Arthur's expression changed so violently that I almost failed to recognize him.
The polished businessman who had smiled for photographs only minutes earlier was gone.
In his place stood the furious man I remembered from childhood.
"Trevor, I said be quiet."
Trevor flinched.
He was thirty-six years old, the presumed successor to a multibillion-dollar business, yet my father's voice still had the power to make him look like a frightened schoolboy.
I recognized that fear because I had once lived with it.
"Let him speak, Arthur."
My father turned toward me.
"This is a private business matter."
"Then stop discussing it in front of me."
I moved toward the door.
Trevor stepped forward.
"Wait, Kate."
He looked between us.
"I signed one of the final certification summaries."
Arthur slammed his palm against the table.
"Enough!"
Evelyn stood so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor.
"Trevor, sweetheart, don't be foolish."
But Trevor continued.
"There were engineers who refused to approve the results."
He swallowed.
"Dad told me they were being difficult."
I raised one hand.
"Trevor, stop."
His face fell.
"You don't want to know?"
"I don't want you discussing potential evidence with someone who is recused from the matter."
I kept my voice calm.
"If you have information, you need independent legal advice and the proper investigative authorities."
Arthur gave a sharp, humorless laugh.
"Listen to her, Trevor."
He pointed at me.
"She's already talking like a prosecutor."
I turned toward him.
"I'm talking like an officer who understands the importance of following the rules."
He stepped closer.
"You always did enjoy hiding behind regulations."
"No, Arthur."
I met his eyes.
"Rules are what prevent powerful people from deciding that everyone else has to pay for their mistakes."
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Trevor spoke quietly.
"I thought they'd fixed the problems."
Arthur's face went white.
I didn't ask what problems he meant.
I had spent enough time around investigations to know that curiosity could become interference, even when the intentions were good.
Instead, I looked at Trevor.
"If you signed something you now believe may be false, you need to tell the truth to the investigators."
His hands trembled.
"What if I get into trouble?"
"Then you'll have to face the consequences of your own decisions."
He stared at me.
"But getting help now is better than making another bad decision to hide the first one."
Evelyn shook her head furiously.
"Arthur, this is exactly what I warned you would happen."
My father ignored her.
He had fixed his attention on me.
"Kate, do you understand what you're doing?"
"Yes."
"Thousands of employees depend on this company."
"I know."
"Entire communities depend on our contracts."
"Then their livelihoods deserve to be protected from dishonest management."
He stepped backward as though my words had physically struck him.
I remembered being nineteen and standing before his desk, trying to explain why I wanted to serve.
He had told me I was throwing away security, opportunity, and respect.
Now, more than two decades later, he was asking me to throw away my integrity to preserve his security.
The irony would have been amusing if the stakes hadn't been so serious.
I opened the door.
"One more thing, Arthur."
He looked up.
"Whatever happens to Mercer Defense Tech, don't blame it on me."
He gave me a bitter smile.
"You're the one standing with the people trying to destroy it."
"No."
I shook my head.
"If someone falsified safety records, that decision was made long before I walked through these doors."
Trevor lowered his eyes.
Evelyn clutched her pearl necklace.
My father stared at me with undisguised hatred.
"You're no daughter of mine."
The words landed between us like a door slamming shut.
Twenty-six years earlier, hearing them had broken my heart.
This time, they only confirmed how little he'd changed.
I looked at the man who had given me my name but never understood my purpose.
"You said that once before."
Then I walked away.
I reached the corridor before I heard footsteps behind me.
Trevor emerged, closing the door quietly.
His face was pale.
"Kate."
I waited.
He rubbed both hands over his face.
"I used to think Dad hated you because you were selfish."
I said nothing.
"He told everyone you wanted the family fortune without doing anything to earn it."
I looked at him carefully.
"Is that what you believe?"
He shook his head.
"Not anymore."
May you like
Then he said something that would stay with me long after that night.
"I think he hated you because you were the only person who ever told him no."
