Page 90 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"He didn't have a family." I felt like a fool repeating her lies, because that's clearly what they were. I felt sick to my stomach. "I can't believe she made up a story about my father."

"Bravo," Bennett mocked. "You finally caught up. And to think you're the smart, committed employee my father is so proud of. It's a joke."

"But your father never told me I was his daughter. Why would he keep it a secret? Why would my mother do that? Why would she pretend she'd never even met him?"

"I'm sure he paid her off."

"I doubt that. I didn't grow up with money. I had no privilege. I wasn't entitled, like you."

"Well, you're entitled now. Because Daddy is changing his will, so you get half of everything." He paused. "I have to say, I didn't believe it at first, either. I thought she was trying to play me, but then she gave me the file, and all the proof was right there in front of me."

"Who are you talking about now?" I asked.

"Allison. She told me everything."

"Allison?" I echoed. "How the hell would Allison know? Where would she get the photo, the file? Maybe it's all fake, Bennett. Maybe she was conning you." I latched on to that theory with desperation.

"I thought the same thing at first, but the papers aren't fake, and there's a note in that file you haven't read yet from my father, expressing remorse for not taking care of you. Since your mother died, he wanted to make sure you ended up with something. That's why he was changing his will now."

"With something? With money?" I demanded, rage running through me. "But not with him acknowledging I am his daughter?My God!Everything I've gone through this week. I could have died twice, and he never once acted like he was anything more than a concerned employer, but I'm his daughter, and he almost lost me at sea, and that wasn't enough to make him say something?"

Bennett seemed to enjoy my confusion and even more so, my disgust at his father—our father. "Well, he's never been father of the year. But I've had to deal with him putting me down for thirty-one years. I've paid my dues. I don't give a shit that he hasn't told you anything, that you're his secret shame. I care about his money and the inheritance that is supposed to be mine. That is the only reason I still talk to him, and I will not let you have a dime."

I didn't need to ask him how he was going to prevent that, because the gun in his hand was a very strong clue.

"I know exactly how to stop that from happening now," he continued. "You are going to have yet another unfortunate accident, Lauren. You came here early to check out the venue at Megan's request. When you got here, you ventured too close to an old wooden rail. As you grabbed the rail, it broke. You slipped and fell to the ground, just like poor Allison did. The caterers will probably find you when they arrive around six."

My breath caught in my chest as I saw the crazy and proud light in his eyes and realized one horrific fact. "You killed Allison?"

"She killed herself. She got too close to the edge of a balcony. It was her own fault. She shouldn't have gone out on that deck. There was a warning sign. But she was determined to get a job from my father, so she pushed things too far, and let's say she slipped."

"Because you forced her to slip." I saw the truth in his eyes. "Why, Bennett? Why would you want her dead?"

"She wanted too much for this information. She had to go. And so do you."

I swallowed hard. "You can't do this, Bennett. Think about it…I'm your sister. Are you really going to kill your own sister?"

"You're my competition," he said coldly. "I'll never get what I want now that our father is fascinated and impressed by you. I wondered what the hell he was thinking, spending so much money on you, and then it all fell into place when Allison showed me the file. He wanted to give you the perfect wedding because you are his daughter. That's why everything had to be five-star, first-class. He didn't do it for the campaign. He did it for you. He did it out of guilt."

Shaking my head, I said, "That can't be true. He never cared about me before. If he had, he wouldn't have kept me a secret…he would have been there for me."

"He couldn't admit you were his daughter. My mother would have left him, and a divorce between them would have cost him too much. That was always her leverage. He needed her money."

"I thought it was his money. The company was started by his father."

"Who basically bankrupted it. He convinced my mother to invest her trust fund in the company, and she agreed, as long as he never left her, never divorced her, never embarrassed her. That's why he couldn't publicly acknowledge you until he was dead, until he didn't care anymore about his business or his collection. Actually, let me change that order to collection and then business. Do you know how much of our company's money he has spent on old manuscripts and swords? It's ridiculous. And I have no idea what he spent on that diamond…" Bennett shook his head in disgust. "And then he didn't even have the brain power to protect it from being stolen."

"Were you part of the robbery? Was that your way of getting back at him? Steal what he loves most? Keep it for yourself? It makes sense."

Maybe Ethan and I had both been off base. Maybe Andrew had never been involved in any of it, and it had always been Bennett, who hated that his father loved his collection more than he loved his son.

"Let's go," Bennett said, waving his hand toward the door.

"Where?"

"Up the stairs to the viewing deck. We'll spin your accident like we spun Allison's tragic fall, which we're now referring to as a mishap. That was a good word Megan came up with. She's a hell of a lot more valuable to our company than you are. You're just going to be another mishap. Walk."

"And if I don't?"

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