CHAPTER 5 — The Threat at My Parents' House
CHAPTER 5 — The Threat at My Parents' House
By the time Naomi called, I was already in my car.
"Claire, don't go alone."
"I'm not letting him intimidate my parents."
"Listen to me." Her voice was firm. "Our investigator is already on the way. The police have also been notified. You arriving angry only gives Bennett another advantage."
I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.
"He knows the accounts are frozen."
"I know."
"He knows someone exposed him."
"I know."
"And now he's going to my parents' house."
Naomi paused.
"Which means he's desperate."
The drive felt endless.
Rain hammered against my windshield while my thoughts raced faster than the traffic.
What if he blamed my father?
What if he threatened them?
What if he destroyed evidence before the police arrived?
As I turned onto my parents' quiet street, I saw Bennett's black SUV parked crookedly in the driveway.
Another vehicle sat behind it.
The investigator.
Good.
I parked several houses away and hurried toward the front yard.
Before I reached the porch, I heard shouting.
"You lied to me!"
Bennett's voice echoed through the open front door.
"I signed what you gave me!"
Then my father's voice thundered back.
"I never signed a single document for you!"
"You promised to help!"
"I never promised you anything except to take care of my daughter!"
I stopped in my tracks.
What was Bennett talking about?
Inside the living room, the atmosphere was explosive.
My father stood beside the fireplace, his face red with anger.
My mother clutched the arm of the sofa, trembling.
Across from them stood Bennett.
His tie hung loose.
His hair was messy.
His confidence was gone.
The moment he saw me, his expression shifted.
"There you are."
His voice was strangely calm.
"Tell them."
"Tell them what?"
"That we're supposed to solve problems together."
I looked at him without emotion.
"You should leave."
He ignored me.
Instead, he pulled several documents from a leather folder and threw them onto the coffee table.
"I've lost access to every account."
No one answered.
"This is your doing."
Still silence.
Then he looked directly at my father.
"You ruined everything."
Dad stepped closer.
"I protected my daughter."
"You destroyed my future!"
"No," Dad replied coldly.
"You destroyed it yourself."
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Bennett laughed.
It wasn't a normal laugh.
It was hollow.
Almost unstable.
"You think you've won?"
He looked at me.
"You have no idea what I've sacrificed."
"Sacrificed?"
"I worked for years."
"So did I."
"I built our future."
"No," I answered quietly.
"We built it."
His jaw tightened.
"You never appreciated me."
"I appreciated the man I thought you were."
The room fell silent.
"I don't even know who you are anymore."
Before Bennett could answer, the front door opened.
Two police officers entered.
"Mr. Blackwood?"
He froze.
One officer spoke calmly.
"We've received a report concerning a disturbance."
Bennett immediately smiled.
"This is all a misunderstanding."
The second officer looked around the room.
"Sir, we'd like you to step outside."
"I haven't done anything."
"Please."
For several long seconds, Bennett didn't move.
Then he picked up his folder and walked toward the door.
As he reached it, he turned back toward me.
His eyes no longer showed fear.
Only hatred.
"This isn't over."
Then he walked outside.
The moment the patrol cars disappeared, my mother burst into tears.
Dad sat heavily in his chair.
"I should have seen through him."
"You couldn't have."
"I welcomed him into this family."
"He fooled everyone."
Dad looked at me with guilt written across his face.
"I failed you."
I knelt beside him.
"No."
"You believed the best in people."
He hugged me tightly.
"I'm so sorry."
For the first time since discovering Bennett's betrayal...
I cried.
Not because of my marriage.
Because I realized my parents had been carrying the same heartbreak.
That evening Naomi called with another update.
"The judge granted temporary financial restraints."
"Good."
"But that's not the biggest news."
"What happened?"
She took a deep breath.
"We subpoenaed Victor Lang's office."
"And?"
"His assistant agreed to cooperate."
I sat upright.
"Why?"
"Because Victor fired her yesterday."
"What does she know?"
Naomi smiled.
"Everything."
The following afternoon, we met the assistant in a private conference room.
Her name was Melissa.
She looked exhausted.
"I didn't know everything at first," she admitted.
"I thought they were legitimate investment transfers."
"When did you realize they weren't?"
"When Mr. Blackwood started bringing Heather into meetings."
She slid a thick envelope across the table.
"I made copies."
Naomi slowly opened it.
Inside were contracts...
Bank instructions...
Emails...
Meeting schedules...
And handwritten notes.
Then Melissa pointed to one page.
"That's the important one."
Naomi read it silently.
Then looked up at me.
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
She pushed the paper toward me.
Across the top were six chilling words.
Operation New Beginning.
Below them was a detailed timeline.
Sell the house.
Freeze Claire out.
Transfer remaining assets.
File for divorce.
Marry Heather within six months.
My hands began shaking.
May you like
This had never been an affair driven by passion.
It had been a business plan.
