Chapter 4: The Father Who Came for Money
Emily couldn't move.
Richard Carter.
The name she had spent eleven years trying not to think about was suddenly standing somewhere beyond the auditorium doors.
Her father.
The man who had missed her first day of school. The man who hadn't called when her mother died. The man who hadn't sent a birthday card, a Christmas present, or even a single explanation.
And now he had come looking for her.
“Is it really him?”” Emily whispered.
Jace nodded.
“Marcus recognized him from the photograph in Daniel's files.””
Emily tightened her grip on her mother's letter.
“What does he look like?””
“Gray suit. Expensive watch. Silver hair. He's standing beside a black Mercedes.””
Emily let out a bitter laugh.
“Eleven years. He couldn't find me for eleven years, but he found me today?””
Jace didn't answer.
Marcus approached them.
“Want me to send him away?””
Emily looked toward the parking lot.
“No.””
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“No?””
“I want to see him.””
Jace studied her face.
“Are you sure?””
Emily nodded.
“I've spent my whole life wondering what I did wrong. I want to hear what he has to say.””
Jace stepped aside.
“Then we'll be right behind you.””
Richard Carter stood beside the Mercedes, checking his watch.
He was in his late forties, with neatly combed silver hair and a tailored charcoal suit. A gold ring glinted on his right hand.
Beside him stood a thin man carrying a leather briefcase.
Two security guards waited near the car.
When Richard spotted Emily, he smiled.
Not a warm smile.
A practiced one.
“Emily.””
She stopped several feet away.
“Hello.””
Richard looked her up and down.
“Goodness. You've grown.””
Emily stared at him.
“That's what happens when eleven years pass.””
The lawyer shifted uncomfortably.
Richard cleared his throat.
“I know this is unexpected. I wanted to surprise you.””
“You succeeded.””
“I've missed you, sweetheart.””
Emily felt something twist inside her chest.
She had imagined this moment a thousand times.
In some versions, he cried. In others, he apologized. Sometimes he hugged her and explained everything.
But he had never looked at her the way a businessman looked at an appointment running late.
“Why are you here?”” she asked.
Richard glanced at Jace.
“And who are these people?””
“Friends.””
Richard gave a short laugh.
“Friends? Emily, these men look like they belong in a police report.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Funny. We were thinking the same thing about you.””
Jace raised one hand.
“Marcus.””
Marcus stepped back, but his eyes remained fixed on Richard.
The lawyer opened his briefcase.
“My name is Thomas Bennett. I'm representing Mr. Carter in a private family matter.””
Emily looked at him.
“What family matter?””
Thomas removed a document.
“Your father has been trying to establish contact with you. There are certain financial arrangements that need to be discussed.””
Emily frowned.
“What financial arrangements?””
Richard sighed.
“Your mother left some things unfinished. I'm trying to make sure everything is handled properly.””
Jace stepped closer.
“Funny. Daniel's records suggest Sarah handled everything properly.””
Richard's expression changed.
For the first time, the smile disappeared.
“Who is Daniel?””
“Daniel Walker.””
Richard looked at Jace.
Then at the Iron Ravens gathered behind him.
His jaw tightened.
“I see.””
Emily noticed the change.
“You know that name?””
Richard ignored her.
“Mr. Walker's affairs have nothing to do with me.””
“Then why are you here?”” Emily asked.
Thomas placed the document on the hood of the Mercedes.
“Emily, this is a simple acknowledgment. It allows your father to act as your legal representative regarding the inheritance.””
Emily looked at the paper.
“My inheritance?””
Richard stepped closer.
“Your mother and an old family friend arranged something years ago. The money was intended to help you. But you're a minor, and managing it requires an adult.””
“How much money?””
Richard hesitated.
Thomas answered.
“Approximately six hundred and forty thousand dollars, including accumulated interest.””
Emily stared.
Six hundred and forty thousand dollars.
She thought about the grocery store shifts. The office floors she had scrubbed until her hands cracked. The bus rides home after midnight.
She thought about counting coins to buy food.
And her father had known about this money?
Richard lowered his voice.
“Your mother should have told me. I could have made sure you were properly provided for.””
Emily looked at him.
“You could have provided for me without six hundred thousand dollars.””
Richard's face reddened.
“That's enough.””
“No. It isn't.””
“You're a child. You don't understand how complicated these matters are.””
Emily lifted her chin.
“I'm old enough to work two jobs. I'm old enough to earn a university scholarship. I'm old enough to understand that you weren't there.””
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“You have no idea what happened between your mother and me.””
“Then tell me.””
He looked away.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Finally, Richard turned to Thomas.
“Let's finish the paperwork.””
Jace stepped between them.
“She isn't signing anything.””
Richard glared.
“This is a private family matter.””
“Then you should have remembered she was family eleven years ago.””
Marcus let out a low whistle.
Thomas closed his briefcase.
“Mr. Carter, perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere.””
Richard ignored him.
He pointed at Emily.
“Listen carefully. You're my daughter. I have legal rights here.””
Emily's stomach tightened.
“Do you?””
Richard smiled again.
“Yes, sweetheart. And I intend to exercise them.””
He turned toward the car.
But before he opened the door, he looked over his shoulder.
“One more thing. Your little motorcycle friends should be careful. They're interfering with matters they don't understand.””
Jace didn't blink.
“Drive safely, Richard.””
The Mercedes pulled away.
Emily stood frozen.
Marcus approached.
“Kid?””
She looked at him.
“Was he always like that?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Jace said something that made her turn sharply.
“There's a reason your mother made Daniel promise to protect you from him.””
Emily's eyes widened.
“What reason?””
Jace looked toward the road where the Mercedes had disappeared.
“Your father didn't leave because he stopped loving your mother.””
Emily swallowed.
“Then why?””
Jace reached into his jacket.
May you like
“Because he tried to take something from her.””
And the next document he pulled out would prove it.
