Chapter 7 - My Brother's OfferDerek arrived at Miller's Diner at 6:52.
Alone.
Or so he wanted us to think.
Thomas spotted Vanessa's Mercedes across the parking lot.
She stayed inside.
Derek walked into the diner carrying no briefcase.
No documents.
Just confidence.
He slid into the booth opposite Mom.
I sat beside her.
Thomas occupied the end.
Derek glanced at him.
“Does he need to be here?”
“Yes,” Mom said.
My brother stared at her.
That answer surprised him.
“Fine.”
The waitress brought coffee.
Nobody drank it.
For several seconds, Derek looked at Mom as though trying to locate the version of her he had controlled.
He couldn't find her.
“Mom,” he began, “I know you're upset.”
She said nothing.
“I should have explained things better.”
Still nothing.
“I was protecting you.”
I nearly laughed.
Mom placed one hand over mine.
A warning.
Let him talk.
Derek continued.
“When Dad died, you never learned finances.”
“I ran our household for thirty-eight years.”
“That's different.”
“How?”
“Business is complicated.”
“So you took my money because I'm stupid?”
“I didn't say that.”
“You said confused.”
He sighed.
“This is exactly what I mean. Everything gets twisted.”
Mom looked at him calmly.
“Did you move Emily's money from my bank account?”
His face tightened.
“I invested it.”
“Did you ask me?”
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You signed paperwork.”
“You mean the paperwork you told me was for refinancing?”
Derek looked toward Thomas.
“This is becoming a legal interrogation.”
Thomas smiled.
“Only because your answers sound like evidence.”
Derek ignored him.
“Mom, Hayes Development was struggling after the pandemic.”
“Then you should have told me.”
“You would have worried.”
“You stole from me so I wouldn't worry?”
“I didn't steal anything.”
Mom pulled the Crestline document from her purse.
“Then what's this?”
His face changed.
Not much.
Enough.
“You bought equity.”
“I didn't know I bought equity.”
“But you benefited.”
“Did I?”
“You own part of the company.”
“How much?”
Derek hesitated.
She already knew.
We watched him choose whether to lie.
“Twenty-two percent.”
Mom nodded.
“And the company is being sold.”
His jaw tightened.
“Potentially.”
“For eighteen million dollars?”
“That's an enterprise figure. There are debts.”
“Answer her,” I said.
He snapped toward me.
“Stay out of this.”
Mom's hand hit the table.
Not hard.
But the sound stopped him.
“Don't speak to your sister that way.”
Derek stared.
For the first time in years, perhaps decades, Mom sounded like his mother.
Not his employee.
He leaned back.
“Fine.”
She continued.
“Why didn't you tell me about the sale?”
“I planned to.”
“When?”
“After closing.”
“And what would happen to my share?”
“You'd be compensated.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
Thomas laughed quietly.
Derek glared.
Mom didn't.
“How much?”
“Five hundred thousand.”
I stared at him.
“On a stake potentially worth several million?”
“After liabilities, taxes, preference rights—”
Thomas interrupted.
“Crestline's shares are pari passu common equity according to the filing.”
Derek's face hardened.
“You've been busy.”
“Yes,” Thomas said.
“That means nothing.”
“It means your mother doesn't have inferior liquidation rights.”
Derek turned toward me.
“This is what you wanted, isn't it?”
“What?”
“Money.”
I almost admired the audacity.
“You found Mom sleeping beside a washing machine and somehow I'm greedy?”
“You flew home and immediately started digging through accounts.”
“Because you stole them.”
“I saved the company Dad built!”
Mom's expression changed.
Derek saw it.
He softened.
“That's what this was about.”
He leaned toward her.
“Dad spent his life building Hayes Development. When things got bad, I couldn't let it die.”
Mom whispered, “Your father would rather lose the company than steal from his family.”
“You don't know that.”
“I was married to him for forty-two years.”
Derek looked away.
For a moment, he almost seemed ashamed.
Then it disappeared.
“I made mistakes.”
There it was.
The phrase people used when crimes became inconvenient.
“But I can fix this.”
He reached into his jacket.
Thomas stiffened.
Derek withdrew an envelope.
He placed it on the table.
Inside was a document.
Settlement Agreement.
The number on page one was $750,000.
Mom stared.
“What is this?”
“You get seven hundred fifty thousand dollars.”
“For what?”
“You transfer the Crestline interest and withdraw all claims against the house.”
I actually laughed.
Derek glared.
“What's funny?”
“You stole half a million dollars, borrowed two million against her home, possibly forged documents, and you're offering her a fraction of an asset she already owns.”
“This isn't for you.”
“No,” I said. “That's finally something we agree on.”
Mom pushed the settlement back.
“No.”
Derek blinked.
“Read it first.”
“No.”
“One million.”
Mom stared.
He swallowed.
“One-point-two.”
Thomas leaned back.
Watching.
“One-point-five million,” Derek said.
“No.”
His composure began cracking.
“Mom, don't be ridiculous.”
“There's the Derek I know.”
He froze.
She continued.
“When you're sweet, you want something. When sweet doesn't work, I'm stupid.”
“I didn't call you stupid.”
“You didn't have to.”
He lowered his voice.
“If this acquisition collapses because of you, dozens of employees could lose jobs.”
Mom's face tightened.
He saw the opening.
“People have mortgages.”
I wanted to interrupt.
She stopped me with a glance.
“How many employees?”
“Two hundred thirty.”
“Do they know the company borrowed against my house?”
He hesitated.
“That's not relevant.”
“Do they know you used my retirement money?”
Silence.
“Do they know you lied to the bank about where I lived?”
“Mom—”
“Do they?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“Then don't put your choices on their shoulders.”
Derek's face reddened.
“You've been talking to Jean.”
“Yes.”
“She hates me.”
“No.”
“She always has.”
“She tried to warn me.”
“She wanted Dad's company.”
Mom leaned forward.
“Jean told me something else.”
Derek stopped.
I didn't know what Mom meant.
Neither did Thomas.
“What?” Derek asked.
“She said Dad once offered you the company.”
My brother's eyes flickered.
Mom continued.
“He told you he'd give you controlling ownership if you agreed to share profits with employees.”
Derek stared.
“That was years ago.”
“You refused.”
“I built that company after him.”
“You inherited it.”
“I expanded it.”
“With other people's money.”
“Business works that way.”
“Not with forged signatures.”
He slammed his palm against the table.
Several diners turned.
“There was no forgery!”
Mom didn't flinch.
“Then let experts decide.”
His nostrils flared.
For one second, I saw the same man who had stood over her while she scrubbed wine from the marble.
Then he noticed people watching.
He lowered his voice.
“If the acquisition falls apart, everything collapses.”
“Maybe.”
“The bank comes after assets.”
“Maybe.”
“You'll destroy Dad's legacy.”
Mom looked sad.
“No, Derek.”
She stood.
“You did.”
Then she walked toward the exit.
I rose to follow.
Derek grabbed my wrist.
Not hard.
But enough.
“Emily.”
I looked down at his hand.
Then at him.
He released me.
“This isn't over.”
“No.”
I picked up his unsigned settlement offer.
“We finally agree twice in one night.”
Outside, Vanessa climbed out of her Mercedes.
She hurried toward Derek as he emerged.
We were almost at my rental car when she shouted.
“Emily!”
I turned.
Vanessa was pale.
Not angry.
Afraid.
She glanced at Derek.
Then at me.
And for the briefest moment, she shook her head.
A warning.
That night, at 1:13 a.m., my phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number.
You don't know everything Derek did.
Then another.
Meet me tomorrow. Alone.
May you like
A third message arrived.
It's Vanessa.
