Part 4: Secrets buried beneath the ash.

Part 4: Secrets buried beneath the ash.

By midnight, the storm outside the Bennett Estate matched the rage brewing inside Arthur’s private study.

Leo was fast asleep upstairs in a warm, plush bed, his stomach filled with a proper meal and his medical checkup completed by Arthur’s personal physician. The doctor had confirmed that Leo was suffering from mild malnutrition and exhaustion, but with proper care, he would make a full recovery.

Arthur sat behind his mahogany desk, staring at a thick manila folder Marcus had placed before him.

"Her name was Clara Vance," Marcus said quietly, standing across from the desk.

Arthur lifted his head sharply. "Vance? The same last name as Gavin?"

"No relation, sir. Just a tragic coincidence," Marcus clarified. "Clara was a schoolteacher. Julian met her six months before his accident. They were married quietly in a small town upstate. When Julian went missing at sea, Clara was already three months pregnant with Leo. She tried to reach out to you at the corporate office."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. "I never received a single letter or phone call. Not one."

"That’s because someone intercepted them," Marcus replied grimly, opening the file to reveal a series of wire transfer records and altered mail logs. "Someone inside Bennett Industries paid off the staff at the estate and the corporate mailroom to ensure Clara’s letters were destroyed. They even paid off local thugs to intimidate Clara, telling her that if she ever brought the child to Chicago, both she and her baby would disappear."

Arthur’s hand slammed down onto the desk, rattling the antique lamp. "Who paid them, Marcus?!"

"Your nephew, Richard Bennett," Marcus said softly.

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Richard—the son of Arthur’s late brother. For eight years, since Julian’s disappearance, Richard had been acting as the Vice Chairman of Bennett Industries. He had positioned himself as the sole heir to the Bennett legacy, patiently waiting for Arthur to retire or pass away so he could claim the multi-billion-dollar empire.

"Clara spent seven years hiding in cheap rentals, working three jobs to protect Leo," Marcus continued. "She fell ill six months ago. Before she passed away in a county hospice, she gave Leo that photograph and the key, telling him to only go to the Grand Royal Hotel if he was truly desperate, hoping someone there might recognize the Bennett crest on the key."

Arthur closed his eyes, a tear escaping down his face. He pictured the brave young woman dying alone, worrying about her son, while he sat in his mansion unaware that his own blood was starving just miles away.

"Richard thought if he kept Clara terrified, the truth would die with her," Arthur whispered, his voice trembling with a terrifying fury. "He didn't account for a seven-year-old boy walking through the front door."

Arthur opened his eyes, the grief vanishing, replaced by a cold, relentless determination. "Marcus, prepare the board members. Call an emergency shareholder meeting for 9:00 AM tomorrow."

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"Understood, sir," Marcus bowed. "And what about Richard?"

Arthur looked at the small copper key resting on his desk next to Julian's photo. "Don't notify him. Let him come to the office expecting another ordinary day."