Chapter 6: The Man Who Knew Everything
“Don't shoot him!””
Ava screamed.
The man in the gray suit turned.
For one terrible second, everyone froze.
Then Lily yanked Ava behind the garden wall.
“Get down!””
A gunshot cracked through the morning.
Ava covered her ears.
Maya screamed.
Glass shattered from the kitchen window.
Her father grabbed Denise and pulled her to the ground.
Thomas crouched behind the Toyota.
“Stay down!””
Another shot struck the Mercedes.
The windshield exploded.
Ava stared through the bushes.
Robert was still standing.
The gunman hadn't fired at him.
He had fired beside him.
A warning.
The man walked forward.
“Where is the drive?””
Robert said nothing.
The gunman raised the weapon.
“I won't ask twice.””
Robert's eyes shifted toward the backyard.
Ava understood.
He was looking at her.
Lily covered Ava's mouth.
“Don't move.””
The gunman followed Robert's gaze.
Ava's heart stopped.
Then Robert suddenly grabbed the Mercedes door and swung it open.
He pulled the emergency release and kicked the door toward the gunman.
The man stumbled.
Robert ran.
“Now!””
Thomas shouted.
Ava, Lily, and Maya sprinted toward the side gate.
Her father followed.
They reached the alley just as another SUV blocked the road.
“Back!”” Thomas shouted.
They turned.
A second vehicle was coming from the opposite direction.
They were trapped.
Lily grabbed Ava's wrist.
“This way.””
She pulled her toward a narrow passage between two houses.
Ava followed without thinking.
They ran until the sound of engines disappeared behind them.
Finally, they reached an abandoned garage.
Thomas shut the door.
Everyone stood there gasping.
Maya looked at Robert.
“You knew.””
Robert leaned against the wall.
“I knew some of it.””
Ava stared at him.
“Some?””
He looked at her.
“I knew your grandfather was dangerous.””
“You worked for him.””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Four years.””
Ava's eyes filled with anger.
“And you married my mother?””
“I fell in love with her.””
“While spying on her?””
Robert's face twisted.
“I stopped spying on her.””
“When?””
“The day I realized they were going to take you.””
Ava laughed bitterly.
“So my whole childhood was a lie.””
“No.””
Robert shook his head.
“The love wasn't.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because telling you would have put you in danger.””
Ava stepped closer.
“You're all using that excuse.””
Robert lowered his voice.
“Because it's true.””
Her father interrupted.
“Then tell her everything.””
Robert looked at him.
“I can't.””
“You owe her.””
“I know.””
Ava slammed her hand against the wall.
“Then start talking!””
Robert took a long breath.
“Your grandfather didn't want Lily because she was an heir.””
Ava frowned.
“Then why?””
“Because she wasn't supposed to survive.””
The room went silent.
Lily stared at him.
“What?””
Robert looked at her.
“When you and Ava were born, your grandfather discovered something.””
“What?””
“You weren't his only heirs.””
Lily's face tightened.
“That's impossible.””
Robert shook his head.
“He had another child.””
Ava whispered, “Another?””
“Your grandmother had a daughter before she married him.””
Thomas stepped forward.
“What was her name?””
Robert looked at him.
“Eleanor.””
Thomas's expression changed.
“You're certain?””
Robert nodded.
“Eleanor Brooks.””
Thomas opened his briefcase and pulled out the documents.
He searched through them.
Then froze.
“She exists.””
Ava stared.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas turned the document around.
“Your grandfather's estate has a third beneficiary.””
Lily stepped closer.
“Who?””
Thomas pointed to the page.
*Eleanor Brooks.*
Ava felt dizzy.
“But if she's alive, why have we never heard of her?””
Robert looked at Denise.
Denise slowly shook her head.
“She isn't alive.””
Ava stared at her.
“Then why is she listed?””
Denise whispered:
“Because she had a daughter.””
Lily's eyes widened.
“Where is she?””
Denise looked directly at Ava.
Nobody spoke.
Ava's heart began pounding.
“Mom…”
Denise's lips trembled.
“The girl your grandfather spent eighteen years trying to find…”
She stopped.
Ava could barely breathe.
“Who is she?””
Denise looked toward Maya.
Maya's face went completely white.
“No.””
Ava turned.
“Maya?””
Maya backed away.
“I don't understand.””
Denise began crying.
“Maya is not Robert's daughter.””
Ava stared at her.
“What?””
Robert closed his eyes.
Denise whispered the truth.
“Maya is Eleanor's granddaughter.””
Maya shook her head violently.
“No. No, that's impossible.””
Thomas looked at the documents again.
“It explains the forged signature.””
Ava stared at Maya.
“The Mercedes…”
Maya's eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't know.””
“The birthday gift.””
“I didn't know!””
“The company.””
Maya collapsed into a chair.
“I swear I didn't know.””
Lily stepped toward her.
“Then who did?””
Before Maya could answer, her phone began ringing.
Everyone looked at the screen.
The caller ID showed a name none of them recognized.
Maya answered with shaking hands.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through.
“Tell Ava the truth.””
Maya's face drained of color.
“What truth?””
The voice replied:
“The Toyota was never her birthday gift.””
Ava froze.
“What?””
The man continued.
“It was a test.””
A pause.
Then:
“We needed to know whether Ava would choose the Mercedes.””
The call ended.
Ava looked at the others.
Her father slowly whispered:
“They've been testing you all along.””
And then Thomas opened the final page of the trust.
At the bottom was a handwritten note from Ava's grandfather.
May you like
Only six words.
*The one who refuses gets everything.*
