Chapter 6: He Had Used Their Children
Olivia felt the world narrow around her.
The terminal noise faded.
The rolling suitcases.
The distant announcements.
The footsteps.
All she could hear was Martin's voice coming through Daniel's phone.
"The children's trust account," Martin repeated.
"The transfers started six months ago.""
Daniel turned away.
"Not here.""
"Daniel, the board has already received the statements.""
"Stop talking.""
"They're asking for an explanation.""
"I said stop!""
Claire stepped backward.
Olivia looked down at her babies.
Her son was awake.
His tiny fingers had wrapped around the fabric of her sweater.
She kissed his forehead.
Then she raised her eyes.
"How much?""
Daniel didn't answer.
"How much money did you take from their account?""
He covered the phone.
"Olivia, please.""
"How much?""
He glanced toward Claire, then toward the entrance.
"Two hundred and forty thousand.""
Olivia's face went blank.
For a moment, she couldn't understand the number.
The twins had been born less than a year ago.
Their grandparents had established the trust before they were even born.
The money was supposed to provide for their education, their healthcare, and the opportunities Daniel and Olivia had once promised to give them.
Two hundred and forty thousand dollars.
Gone.
"Where did it go?"" Olivia asked.
Daniel swallowed.
"It was temporary.""
"Where?""
"I invested it.""
"In what?""
He looked down.
Olivia waited.
"Daniel.""
His voice became almost inaudible.
"The Florida property.""
Claire dropped the envelope.
"What?""
Daniel turned toward her.
"Don't.""
"You used their money?""
"I was going to replace it.""
Claire stared at him.
"You told me the deposit came from your personal investment account!""
"I said I was going to replace it.""
"That's not an answer!""
Olivia watched Claire's anger grow.
But she couldn't bring herself to care about the woman's shock.
Her attention was on Daniel.
"You took money from our children.""
He shook his head.
"I borrowed it.""
"You didn't ask.""
"I was going to put it back.""
"You didn't tell me.""
"I knew you'd overreact.""
Olivia stared at him.
Then she laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the sentence was so perfectly Daniel that it almost hurt.
He had stolen from their children and still believed the problem was her reaction.
"Do you know what I did when our son was in the hospital?"" Olivia asked.
Daniel looked at her.
"What?""
"I sat beside his bed for eleven hours because he had trouble breathing. I called you four times.""
Daniel's expression shifted.
"You told me you were in meetings.""
"I was.""
"I know. I saw the calendar.""
He looked away.
Olivia continued.
"I paid the hospital deposit with my own savings because you said the business account was temporarily frozen.""
"Olivia—"
"You were taking money from their trust while I was trying to find enough money to pay a hospital bill.""
Daniel's face tightened.
"I didn't know that.""
"You didn't ask.""
The words landed between them.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then Daniel tried again.
"I can fix this.""
Olivia shook her head.
"No.""
"I can sell the property.""
"That's not enough.""
"I'll repay every dollar.""
"You'll have to explain it to the people investigating the transfers.""
He stepped closer.
"You're my wife.""
She looked at him.
"That didn't seem to matter when you kissed Claire.""
"That's different.""
"No, Daniel. It's exactly the same.""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Please. Think about the children. They need their father.""
Olivia looked down at the twins.
Then she looked back at him.
"They need a father who doesn't steal from them.""
Daniel's face crumpled for a moment.
He reached toward his daughter.
Olivia shifted slightly.
"Not now.""
"She's my little girl.""
"Then start acting like her father.""
Claire bent to retrieve the envelope.
Her hands were shaking.
"Daniel, I'm leaving.""
He turned sharply.
"You're not going anywhere.""
She looked at him with disbelief.
"You don't get to tell me that.""
"We need to discuss the property.""
"Discuss it with your lawyer.""
She put the envelope into her handbag.
"And don't call me again.""
Daniel watched her walk several steps away.
"Claire!""
She stopped.
For one moment, he looked almost desperate.
"Don't make this worse.""
Claire turned around.
"You made it worse when you used two babies' money to buy me a house.""
Then she walked away.
Daniel stood between his wife and the empty space where his mistress had been.
His suitcase remained behind him.
His phone was still connected to Martin.
"Daniel?"" Martin asked.
He didn't answer.
"Daniel, are you there?""
Olivia looked at her husband.
"Tell him the truth.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"What truth?""
"That the children's account was only one of them.""
His face changed.
Martin went silent.
Olivia unlocked her phone and opened a document sent by the trustee.
She had reviewed it that morning.
She hadn't yet understood why the final page had been marked urgent.
Now she did.
The money taken from the children's trust had passed through three separate accounts.
One belonged to the company.
One belonged to Daniel.
And the third was registered to a private holding company.
The director of that company wasn't Daniel.
It wasn't Claire.
It wasn't Martin.
It was someone Olivia had trusted for years.
She turned the phone toward Daniel.
"Do you recognize this name?""
He looked at the document.
His mouth opened.
Then he took a step backward.
"No.""
Olivia watched him.
"Yes.""
He shook his head.
"That can't be right.""
She pointed to the name at the bottom.
*RICHARD BENNETT.*
Daniel's father.
The man who had supposedly died five years earlier.
The man whose shares had established the family trust.
The man Daniel had always claimed left him the entire business.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"Why is my father's name on that account?""
Olivia's voice became almost a whisper.
"That's what I was hoping you could explain.""
His phone suddenly buzzed.
A new message appeared from the trustee.
*Olivia, we need to speak immediately. There is a discrepancy in the death records. Richard Bennett may not have died when Daniel told the family he did.*
Olivia looked up.
Daniel was staring at the message.
His lips moved.
Then he whispered five words.
May you like
"My father is supposed to be dead.""
And for the first time that afternoon, Olivia realized that her husband's betrayal might be only one piece of a much larger lie.
