Chapter 6
I drove to my mother’s house as fast as I could, Lila in the back seat, coloring quietly, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding around us.
My mom had always loved Helen.
She’d never approved of me, never thought I was good enough for her perfect, rich, beautiful daughter-in-law.
When Helen had left me, Mom had taken her side.
She’d told everyone I’d driven her away, that I was lazy and ungrateful, that I’d never deserved a woman like Helen.
I hadn’t spoken to her in two years.
But I’d never thought she’d go this far.
Never thought she’d hand over the family’s entire legacy to a woman who’d already proven she’d destroy anything to get what she wanted.
Mia met me at the door, her eyes red and puffy.
“She’s in the living room with Helen,” she whispered. “She won’t listen to me. She says Helen is the only one who cares about saving the family name.”
I walked into the living room.
Mom was sitting on the couch, her back straight, her face cold.
Helen was sitting beside her, holding her hand, a fake sympathetic smile on her face.
My older brother, Jake, was standing in the corner, his jaw tight, his fists clenched.
He’d always been on my side.
Mom looked up when I walked in.
“Daniel,” she said, her voice icy. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”
“Mom,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “What did you do?”
“I did what was necessary to save this family,” she snapped. “Your little power play at Langford this morning almost destroyed everything we’ve built. Helen is the only one who knows how to run that company. She’s the only one who cares about the Langford name.”
“Helen doesn’t care about the Langford name,” I said. “She cares about herself. She’s going to sell off every asset, drain the pension fund, and leave you with nothing. You gave her power of attorney over the estate. She can sell the house, sell the shares, sell everything, and you can’t stop her.”
Mom laughed, a sharp, bitter sound.
“You’re just saying that because you want the company for yourself. Helen told me everything. How you’ve been buying up shares in secret, how you’re planning to break up the company and sell it for parts. You’re just like your father. Greedy. Selfish. Only out for yourself.”
I flinched.
She’d been throwing my father in my face ever since he’d left us when I was ten.
Jake stepped forward.
“Mom, that’s not fair. Daniel has spent the last three years building his own business from nothing. He’s not Dad. And Helen is lying to you. Last week, I caught her in your bedroom, going through your jewelry box. She had your diamond necklace in her purse. She said she was just ‘borrowing’ it to wear to a party.”
Mom’s face hardened.
“Helen explained that. She was going to have it cleaned for me. You’re just as ungrateful as your brother.”
Helen squeezed her hand.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Voss. Boys will be boys. They just don’t understand how hard it is for a woman to be taken seriously in business.”
She looked over at me, her eyes glinting.
“Now, Daniel, if you’re done yelling at your poor mother, I think you should leave. You’re upsetting her. And I’d hate to have to file a restraining order against you for harassment. That would look terrible in the custody case, wouldn’t it?”
I stared at her.
She was winning.
She’d turned my own mother against me.
She had my family’s shares.
She was one step ahead of me at every turn.
I was about to respond when I felt a small hand slip into mine.
Lila.
She’d wandered into the room while we were yelling, her rabbit clutched to her chest.
She looked up at Helen, her small face serious.
“Why are you being mean to my daddy?”
Helen’s smile tightened.
“Lila, honey, go play in the kitchen. The grown-ups are talking.”
Lila didn’t move.
She looked around the room, her eyes landing on the crack between the couch cushions.
She let go of my hand, walked over, and reached down.
She pulled out a small black voice recorder.
The kind you use for meetings.
Helen’s face went white.
“Lila, give that to me right now,” she snapped, standing up.
Lila stepped back and held it out to me.
“I found it under there when I was sitting on the floor,” she said. “It has your voice on it, Helen. You were talking about mean things.”
I grabbed the recorder and pressed play.
Helen’s voice filled the room, clear as day.
“…once I get the old lady to sign the power of attorney, I’ll dump the 8% block to a hedge fund in the Caymans. The money will be in my Swiss account by the end of the week. She’ll be left with nothing but the house, and I’ll sell that out from under her too once the shares are gone.”
A pause.
Another voice.
Richard’s.
“What about the hotel stunt? What if Voss figures out you left the kid there on purpose?”
Helen laughed.
“Please. That slap was perfect. It made Voss look like a hero for five minutes, but once I leak the story that he paid the employee to slap her to gain sympathy, the court will take Lila away for good. He’ll lose the kid and the company. I win either way.”
The recording stopped.
The room was dead silent.
Mom stared at Helen, her face draining of all color.
Helen stumbled back.
“T-that’s fake. He doctored it. Daniel, you planted that—”
Mom stood.
Her hand was shaking so hard she could barely hold it up.
“Get out,” she whispered.
Helen stared at her.
“Mrs. Voss, you don’t understand—”
“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Mom screamed, picking up a vase and throwing it at her.
Helen ducked, the vase shattering against the wall behind her.
She turned and ran for the door, screaming over her shoulder.
“You’ll regret this! All of you! I’ll take everything!”
The front door slammed.
Mom stood there for a long minute, shaking.
Then she looked over at me, tears streaming down her face.
“Daniel,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I was so stupid.”
I walked over and put my arm around her.
“It’s okay, Mom. We’ll fix it.”
But before I could say another word, the front door burst open.
Helen was back.
And she wasn’t alone.
Two police officers stood behind her, their hands on their belts.
May you like
She pointed at me, her face twisted with rage.
“Officers, that man kidnapped my daughter. He’s been holding her against her will for three days. Arrest him.”
