Chương 6
He placed a stack of papers on the desk.
Then he looked directly toward the hidden camera.
The room became completely silent.
Because Maxwell was not surprised.
He knew it was there.
“I don’t know who will find this,” his recorded voice said.
James took one step closer.
Maxwell continued.
“If you’re watching this, something happened that I was trying to prevent.”
The video paused briefly.
Then continued.
“I made the mistake of believing loyalty and trust were the same thing.”
James closed his eyes.
Catherine watched him.
The words hurt him.
Not because they accused him.
Because they reminded him of something.
Maxwell looked down at the papers.
“I need whoever finds this to understand one thing.”
He leaned closer to the camera.
“The person stealing from Bennett Industries is not trying to destroy the company.”
A pause.
“They are trying to save it.”
The room remained silent after the recording stopped.
Nobody looked at anyone else.
It was easier to stare at the frozen image of Maxwell Bennett than to deal with what his words meant.
James was the first person to move.
“Play it again.”
Daniel looked at him.
“It ended.”
“I know.”
James stepped closer.
“Play the last ten seconds.”
Daniel hesitated.
Then he replayed the recording.
Maxwell’s face appeared again.
The same tired eyes.
The same careful expression.
“The person stealing from Bennett Industries is not trying to destroy the company.”
A pause.
“They are trying to save it.”
The screen went dark.
James looked down.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Richard gave a quiet laugh.
Not amused.
Exhausted.
“Maxwell rarely said things that made sense immediately.”
James turned toward him.
“You knew he was investigating.”
“I knew he was worried.”
“You let me walk into this building thinking everything was normal.”
Richard’s expression tightened.
“Because he asked me not to interfere.”
“Of course he did.”
The bitterness in James’s voice was impossible to miss.
“He always did that.”
Catherine watched the two men carefully.
There was history between them.
Not the kind people talked about at company dinners.
The kind built from years of disappointments.
“He trusted you,” Richard said.
James looked at him.
“Did he?”
The question was quieter than an accusation.
That made it heavier.
Rebecca looked back at the screen.
“The video changes something.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“Someone was trying to take money.”
She pointed toward the folder.
“Someone created hidden accounts.”
She looked at the terminal.
“Someone accessed a secret system.”
She paused.
“But Maxwell believed the person behind it might have been trying to protect the company.”
Daniel frowned.
“That sounds impossible.”
“No.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“It sounds incomplete.”
She turned toward James.
“What was the acquisition?”
James looked uncomfortable.
“A medical technology company.”
“Name?”
“Arden Biolabs.”
Richard’s face changed slightly.
Catherine noticed.
So did Rebecca.
“You know it?”
Richard looked away.
“I know the name.”
“That’s not the same answer.”
“No.”
Richard sighed.
“It isn’t.”
James stepped closer.
“What happened with Arden?”
Richard remained silent.
“Dad.”
The older man rubbed his hand over his face.
“When Maxwell was younger, before Bennett Industries became what it is now, he invested in medical research.”
James frowned.
“I know.”
“You know the public version.”
“And the private version?”
Richard looked at him.
“People lost money.”
James waited.
“Some people lost more than money.”
The words made the room uncomfortable.
Lily looked at her mother.
Catherine understood that expression.
Children knew when adults were walking around something painful.
“Is someone hurt?” Lily asked.
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Richard said:
“Yes.”
His voice was gentle.
“Someone was hurt.”
James looked at the floor.
“How does that connect to Arden?”
Richard did not answer.
Rebecca did.
“Because Arden was the company Maxwell was trying to buy.”
James looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Why would he stop the deal?”
“Because he found something.”
“What?”
James looked at the blue folder.
“Evidence that Arden wasn’t just developing technology.”
Rebecca waited.
“What else?”
James swallowed.
“That they had been hiding problems.”
Daniel looked confused.
“Then why buy them?”
“Because if another company bought them,” James said, “those problems could disappear.”
Nobody liked the answer.
Because it sounded exactly like something a powerful person would say when trying to justify a dangerous choice.
Catherine folded her arms.
“So Maxwell wanted to buy a company because he was afraid someone else would buy it first.”
James nodded.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t sound like saving.”
James looked at her.
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“It doesn’t.”
The honesty surprised her.
Before she could respond, the elevator chimed again.
This time nobody reached for a weapon or stepped forward.
Everyone was too tired.
A woman walked out.
She was probably in her late thirties, wearing a gray coat and carrying a small backpack.
Daniel immediately blocked the hallway.
“Stop there.”
The woman stopped.
“Daniel?”
He looked closer.
His expression changed.
“Emily?”
James stared.
“Emily Chen?”
The woman looked past Daniel.
Her eyes landed on the room.
Then on Lily.
“Oh.”
Nobody liked the way she reacted.
Rebecca stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The woman slowly removed her backpack.
“My name is Emily Chen.”
Lily’s eyes widened.
“Chen?”
Emily looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Are you related to Chen Wei?”
The woman froze.
Only for a second.
But everyone saw it.
“Yes.”
James moved forward.
“Who is he?”
Emily looked at him.
“He’s my father.”
The room shifted again.
Catherine almost laughed from exhaustion.
Every answer seemed to create another question.
“Your father called this office tonight,” Rebecca said.
Emily looked toward the phone.
“I know.”
“You know?”
“He called me first.”
Nobody spoke.
“Where is he?” James asked.
Emily looked down.
“He’s in trouble.”
The words changed everything.
“What kind of trouble?” Daniel asked.
Emily hesitated.
“The kind where people don’t want him talking.”
Catherine felt Lily move closer.
“Who are these people?” Rebecca asked.
Emily looked at James.
“I think you know.”
James shook his head.
“No.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t.”
“You worked with them.”
May you like
The accusation landed.
James stepped back.
