Chapter 7: The Test
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The words on the page seemed almost absurd.
*The one who refuses gets everything.*
Ava read them again.
Then a third time.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas held the document beneath the weak fluorescent light of the abandoned garage.
“It means your grandfather designed the trust as a test.””
“A test for what?””
“Character.””
Ava laughed once, without humor.
“Character?””
Her father stepped closer.
“He knew everyone around him wanted something.””
Thomas nodded.
“He believed money made people reveal themselves.””
Maya wiped tears from her face.
“So the cars…”
“Were part of it,” Thomas said.
Ava looked at the Toyota keys still clenched in her hand.
“And the Mercedes?””
Thomas looked toward Maya.
“Another part.””
Maya shook her head.
“I didn't know anything about this.””
“I believe you,” Ava said.
Maya stared at her.
“You do?””
Ava nodded slowly.
“You looked as shocked as I was.””
Robert exhaled.
“There were probably instructions given to different people.””
Ava turned toward him.
“You knew about the test?””
“Not the details.””
“But you knew enough to manipulate me.””
Robert looked ashamed.
“I was told to make sure you received the Toyota.””
Ava's eyes narrowed.
“And if I complained?””
“I was supposed to report it.””
Ava stared at him.
“To whom?””
Robert hesitated.
“Your grandfather's estate trustee.””
Thomas interrupted.
“Not anymore.””
Everyone looked at him.
“The trustee died six months ago.””
“Then who controls the trust now?”” Ava asked.
Thomas looked at her.
“You do.””
Ava frowned.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It does if the final condition has been met.””
“What condition?””
Thomas turned the document over.
There was a second handwritten note.
*If Ava chooses love over luxury, reveal the truth.*
Ava looked at the Toyota keys.
She suddenly remembered the morning.
Robert's smile.
The balloons.
The way he had told her she deserved something reliable.
And her own reaction.
She had been furious.
Not because the car was bad.
Because Ava had compared herself to Maya.
She had measured love in dollars.
Her face burned.
“I failed.””
Her father shook his head.
“No.””
“I did.””
“You were supposed to fail.””
Ava looked at him.
“What?””
He pointed at the note.
“That's the point. He wanted to see whether you would realize what you were doing.””
Maya looked confused.
“Then why did he give me the Mercedes?””
Thomas answered.
“To tempt you.””
Maya stared at him.
“And I passed?””
“No.””
Thomas looked at her.
“You failed too.””
Maya lowered her head.
Ava looked at her.
“How?””
“Because the Mercedes wasn't yours.””
Thomas pulled another document from his case.
“It was leased through a company controlled by your grandfather's estate.””
Maya's eyes widened.
“I thought Robert bought it.””
“He didn't.””
Robert looked at Thomas.
“Then who arranged it?””
Thomas didn't answer.
Ava noticed his hesitation.
“Who?””
Thomas slowly said:
“Your mother.””
Ava turned.
Denise was standing in the corner.
“I didn't know what he was planning.””
“But you arranged the Mercedes?””
Denise nodded.
“He contacted me through a lawyer three months ago.””
Ava stared at her.
“And you agreed?””
“I was desperate.””
“For what?””
Denise's eyes moved toward Lily.
“To find her.””
Lily froze.
Denise continued.
“Your grandfather promised that if I followed his instructions, he would reveal where Lily had been taken.””
Ava's expression softened for only a moment.
“You should have told me.””
“I was afraid.””
“You keep saying that.””
“I know.””
Denise looked at both daughters.
“I've spent eighteen years being afraid.””
Lily walked toward her.
“Then stop.””
Denise began crying.
Lily hugged her.
Ava watched them.
For the first time, she saw not a liar, but a woman who had been trapped inside a terrible decision for most of her life.
Then Maya's phone buzzed again.
Everyone froze.
Maya looked at the screen.
Another unknown message.
*The test isn't over.*
A second message appeared.
*Bring Ava to Brooks Tower before midnight. Alone.*
Thomas took the phone.
“This is a trap.””
Ava nodded.
“Obviously.””
Her father shook his head.
“You're not going.””
Ava looked at him.
“If I don't go, what happens?””
“They'll come for you.””
“And if I do?””
“We don't know.””
Ava looked around the room.
At Lily.
At Denise.
At Maya.
At Robert.
She realized something.
Every person in her life had been protecting a secret.
But one person had spent eighteen years trying to find her.
Her father.
“I’m going.””
Her father grabbed her arm.
“No.””
Ava looked into his eyes.
“Dad, I've spent my entire life letting other people decide what I should know.””
She gently pulled away.
“I'm done.””
Lily stepped forward.
“Then you're not going alone.””
Ava shook her head.
“The message says alone.””
“Then we'll follow.””
Thomas nodded.
“She's right.””
Robert looked toward the garage door.
“We have maybe two hours.””
Ava looked at the clock.
10:17 p.m.
She picked up the Toyota keys.
Then stopped.
She held them out to Maya.
“Take these.””
Maya stared.
“What?””
“The Highlander.””
“Why?””
“Because it's mine.””
Maya frowned.
“I don't understand.””
Ava smiled faintly.
“Neither do I.””
Then she walked toward the door.
“Let's find out.””
Behind them, Thomas opened the trust one final time.
A small photograph slipped from between the pages.
He picked it up.
His face changed.
It showed Ava's grandfather standing beside a little girl.
On the back was a date.
May you like
And beneath it, one sentence:
*She was never supposed to survive.*
