Chapter 8 - THE MAN BEHIND THE FLOWERS
The ballroom was almost empty when Daniel arrived.
The flower wall had been removed. The broken panels lay in a secured area behind the stage. Police officers moved quietly between the tables.
Ethan stood near the altar.
He wasn't wearing his jacket. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and he held a small black bag.
“Daniel,” he said, almost warmly. “I was hoping you'd come.”
“Put the bag down.”
Ethan smiled.
“You always were good at giving orders.”
“It's over.”
“No. It's almost over.”
Daniel stopped several feet away.
“Why?”
Ethan's smile faded.
“Because your father built a company and handed it to you. Because you inherited everything without understanding what it cost. Because I spent fourteen years cleaning up your mistakes while you played the generous heir.”
“You stole from a children's foundation.”
“I kept the business alive.”
“You used my daughter.”
“I never wanted to hurt Lily.”
“You planned to take her.”
Ethan's expression tightened.
“I planned to protect her from a mother who disappeared and a father who couldn't see what was happening around him.”
“Olivia didn't disappear. You drove her away.”
Ethan looked toward the ruined stage.
“She should have stayed away.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“She was my wife. Lily's mother. You had no right to decide who belonged in our family.”
Ethan gave a short laugh.
“You think this is about family? It's about control. Your father knew it. That's why he put those ridiculous restrictions in the trust.”
“Did you help him die?”
The question hung between them.
Ethan's face went blank.
Daniel had not planned to ask it. But the notebook, the hidden accounts, and the old messages had opened a possibility he could no longer ignore.
“My father was sick,” Ethan said.
“That's not what I asked.”
“He was going to report me. He had a heart condition. He was under pressure.”
“Did you tamper with his medication?”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
For a moment, the only sound was the ventilation system above them.
Then Ethan said, “I didn't kill him.”
Daniel searched his face.
“You let him die.”
Ethan looked away.
“He found the transfers. He confronted me. I took the bottle from his desk because I wanted him to stop. I thought he'd call his doctor. I didn't know he'd collapse.”
Daniel felt a wave of horror.
“You watched him suffer?”
“I panicked.”
“And then you took control of the company.”
Ethan's eyes flashed.
“I built that company!”
“No. You stole from it.”
Ethan reached into the black bag.
Police officers moved immediately.
“Hands where we can see them!”
Ethan froze.
He pulled out a small envelope and dropped it onto the floor.
“It's evidence,” he said. “The original records. The names of everyone who helped me.”
Detective Harris approached from the side.
“Step away from the bag.”
Ethan looked at Daniel one last time.
“You're going to regret this. You think Olivia will stay? You think she can trust you after all those years?”
Daniel didn't answer.
May you like
He watched the officers place Ethan in handcuffs.
For the first time in fourteen years, the man who had stood beside him through every crisis was being led away as the person who had caused them.
