Chapter 6: The Enemy Wearing a Friendly Face
Nobody moved.
David stood in the church entrance like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
The same confident smile.
The same expensive suit.
The same calm expression of a man who believed he was untouchable.
Marcus stared at him.
“You.””
David adjusted his jacket.
“Hello, Marcus.””
“You told me to leave.””
David smiled.
“I told you what you needed to hear.””
My son’s face tightened.
“You used me.””
David looked almost offended.
“That’s a strong word.””
“It’s the correct word.””
The guests were no longer pretending this was a wedding.
They were watching a family collapse in real time.
I stepped forward.
“David.””
He looked at me.
“Mrs. Anderson.””
“You’ve been planning this for a long time.””
He smiled.
“You were always smarter than Marcus.””
Those words hurt him.
I saw it.
Because David didn’t even deny it.
He admitted Marcus was the weakness.
Marcus moved toward him.
“You lied to me.””
“I advised you.””
“You convinced me my own mother was against me.””
David shrugged.
“I showed you possibilities.””
“No.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You showed me what I wanted to believe.””
For a moment, David’s expression changed.
A tiny crack.
Then it disappeared.
“You should be thanking me.””
Everyone stared.
Marcus laughed in disbelief.
“Thanking you?””
“Yes.””
David stepped closer.
“You spent your whole life waiting for your mother to hand you power. I showed you how to take it.””
My hands curled into fists.
“You poisoned your relationship with your own family.””
David looked at me.
“Your mistake was thinking love would protect your assets.””
“And yours,” I replied, “was thinking assets were the only thing that mattered.””
He smiled.
“Still emotional.””
“No.””
I looked at Marcus.
“I’m just disappointed.””
Marcus lowered his head.
David noticed.
“You really think she forgives you?””
The church went silent.
Marcus looked up.
“What?””
David laughed.
“After everything you said to her? After humiliating her in front of everyone?””
I watched Marcus’s face.
Because that was the cruelest part.
David knew exactly where to attack.
Not money.
Not business.
Guilt.
“I’m not the one who needs forgiveness,” Marcus said quietly.
David raised an eyebrow.
“No?””
“No.””
Marcus turned toward me.
“I do.””
I didn’t respond.
Not because I didn’t hear him.
Because forgiveness was not something that could erase what happened.
David stepped backward.
“You’re making a mistake.””
Marcus looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because you think your mother saved you.””
David smiled.
“But she didn’t.””
He reached into his pocket.
Pulled out his phone.
And tapped the screen.
A few seconds later, every phone in the church received a notification.
Including mine.
Marcus looked down first.
Then his expression changed.
“What is this?””
I walked closer.
He turned the screen toward me.
It was an email.
A legal notice.
My heart sank when I saw the sender.
Because it wasn’t from David.
It wasn’t from Claire.
It was from a law firm.
And the subject line read:
*Emergency Petition: Claim Against Anderson Family Assets*
Marcus looked at me.
“Mom…”
I read the first sentence.
And suddenly, I understood.
David hadn’t been trying to steal the company.
He had been preparing for something much bigger.
Something that could destroy everything we had spent a lifetime building.
Then my phone rang.
The attorney’s name appeared on the screen.
I answered immediately.
“Tell me what happened.””
His voice was tense.
“Mrs. Anderson, you need to listen carefully.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why?””
A pause.
May you like
Then he said:
“Because someone just filed a lawsuit using your son’s identity.””
