Chapter 3 - Margaret’s Secret
Nathan led Clara and Ruby into his private study after the guests had been escorted out. Sloane followed, despite Nathan’s instruction to remain in the ballroom.
“I deserve to know what this is about,” she said.
“No,” Nathan replied, closing the study door. “You deserve to answer for what it says.”
The room fell silent.
Clara sat Ruby on a leather chair near the fireplace and gave her a small plate of cookies from Nathan’s desk. Ruby, sensing the tension, ate quietly.
Nathan stood by the window with the letter in his hand.
“My mother wrote that before she died, she discovered someone had been manipulating her medical records,” he said. “She believed she was being given medication that made her weaker.”
Clara’s breath caught.
Sloane crossed her arms. “That’s impossible.”
“My mother also wrote that she found documents involving the Mercer Foundation.”
Sloane’s lips parted.
The Mercer Foundation had belonged to Sloane’s father, Victor Mercer—a respected philanthropist who had died six years earlier. His name was engraved on hospital wings and museum walls across New York.
Nathan continued reading.
“Margaret wrote that Victor Mercer pressured her to sign financial documents while she was ill. Documents transferring voting control of Whitmore Capital into a private trust.”
Clara looked stunned. “But that never happened.”
“It did,” Nathan said. “At least partially. I found out after she died that several assets had been moved into a trust. I assumed it was part of her estate planning.”
Sloane’s expression became sharper. “Your mother was sick, Nathan. She may have been confused.”
Nathan laughed once, without humor. “My mother built half of this company’s legal structure herself. She wasn’t confused.”
He held up another page.
“She wrote that Victor had a daughter who knew about the documents. A daughter who had been trained to get close to me.”
The silence was devastating.
Ruby dropped a cookie.
Sloane stared at Nathan, her eyes glistening. “You think that means me?”
“I think my mother’s last letter named you.”
Sloane’s control broke for only a moment. “Your mother hated my family.”
“No,” Nathan said. “She was afraid of your father.”
Sloane turned toward Clara. “And you. You brought this here. You had no right.”
Clara stood instinctively in front of Ruby.
“My grandmother told me to give it to him,” she said. “That’s all I did.”
“You have no idea what you’ve caused.”
Nathan stepped between them. “Don’t speak to her like that.”
Sloane’s eyes flashed. “You’re defending your maid now?”
The words hung in the room.
Ruby looked up at her mother, confused and hurt.
Nathan’s face changed.
“Clara is not ‘my maid,’” he said quietly. “She is a person who has shown more loyalty to my family than you ever have.”
Sloane’s tears appeared on command. “Nathan, I love you.”
“If you love me,” he said, “tell me the truth.”
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she reached for his hand.
“My father made mistakes,” she whispered. “But I didn’t know everything. I was young.”
Nathan pulled his hand away.
“How much did you know?”
Sloane looked toward the letter.
Too long.
That was answer enough.
Nathan pressed a button on his desk. His security chief, Daniel Ross, entered.
“Mr. Whitmore?”
“Make sure Ms. Mercer does not leave the property tonight,” Nathan said.
Sloane stared at him. “You can’t imprison me.”
“I’m not,” Nathan replied. “But you are not taking anything from this house until my attorneys arrive.”
Sloane’s face became still.
Then she smiled.
It was not the smile from the ballroom.
It was the smile of someone who had run out of reasons to pretend.
“You think a letter can destroy me?” she said. “Nathan, you have no idea how deep this goes.”
She walked out with Daniel behind her.
Clara held Ruby close.
Nathan looked at the letter one more time.
At the bottom, beneath Margaret’s final words, was a sentence that made his heart stop.
May you like
Trust Clara Bennett. Her grandmother knows where the truth is buried.
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