Chapter 6 - MY MOTHER STOPPED PLAYING PEACEMAKER
My mother arrived with an attorney.
That told me more than tears ever could.
Carol had spent thirty-five years telling everyone lawyers made simple things complicated.
Now she walked into Peterson Tech beside one.
“Mom.”
“Virgil.”
No hug.
No motherly concern.
Something between us had changed permanently.
Miriam placed the forged agreement on the screen.
Mom looked at it.
“I recognize it.”
“Did you prepare it?”
“Yes.”
Dad turned toward her.
“Carol.”
She ignored him.
I stared.
“You forged my signature?”
“No.”
“Dad says you did.”
“I created the document.”
“That isn’t different enough.”
She looked at me.
“You were going to lose Peterson.”
“It wasn’t yours to save behind my back.”
“You were twenty-nine years old with eighty employees and six weeks of cash.”
“I remember.”
“You refused your father’s investment because the two of you were having one of your pride contests.”
“I refused because he wanted board control.”
Frank snapped:
“I was trying to protect my money.”
Mom looked at him.
“And there it is.”
For once, her irritation was aimed at him.
She continued.
“So I found another way.”
“You created Hawthorne?”
“Yes.”
Frank turned.
“Carol.”
My mother looked directly at him.
“You let our son believe I did the forgery. We’re done protecting each other.”
The room went silent.
I felt almost detached.
“When you say you created Hawthorne, what does that mean?”
“I incorporated it.”
“Who owns it?”
“I did originally.”
“Originally?”
“I transferred ownership.”
“To Dad?”
“No.”
“Derek?”
“No.”
“Who?”
She looked at her attorney.
He gave the smallest nod.
Then Mom said:
“A trust.”
“What trust?”
“The Holloway Family Preservation Trust.”
I had never heard the name.
Dad looked furious.
“You had no right to tell him.”
I laughed.
“It involves my company.”
Frank pointed at me.
“Your company exists because of it.”
“No.”
I leaned forward.
“My company exists because hundreds of people built it.”
Dad stood.
“Without our money, you would’ve failed.”
“Maybe.”
That answer stopped him.
I continued.
“Then I would have failed honestly.”
He had no response.
Mom folded her hands.
“The trust funded Hawthorne.”
“Who benefits?”
Her eyes moved toward the table.
I already knew.
“Derek.”
She nodded.
My brother.
Of course.
“Why?”
“He wasn’t doing well.”
Nine years ago, Derek had lost his second job in eighteen months.
Mom continued.
“We thought if Hawthorne grew, he could eventually run it.”
“By siphoning money from Peterson Tech?”
“It wasn’t supposed to become that.”
“What was it supposed to become?”
“A legitimate consulting firm.”
“But?”
“Derek discovered the revenue agreement.”
“The fake agreement.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He realized nobody at Peterson knew it wasn’t real.”
I felt cold.
“He started enforcing it.”
Mom closed her eyes.
“Quietly.”
“So those customer payments…”
“He told clients Hawthorne was a preferred channel partner connected to Peterson leadership.”
Miriam’s expression darkened.
“And clients paid because they believed Peterson required it.”
“Yes.”
Extortion dressed as consulting.
Using my company.
Using my name.
“How long did you know?”
Mom started crying.
This time I didn’t move.
“A year.”
I stared.
“A year.”
“I told him to stop.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
“Did you tell me?”
“No.”
“HR?”
“No.”
“Legal?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“He’s my son.”
The answer was so predictable I almost laughed.
“And what am I?”
Her crying stopped.
For once, nobody rescued her from the question.
I continued.
“You watched Derek burn Lucas’s toys yesterday.”
“I didn’t know why.”
“You knew he was panicking about Hawthorne.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he was looking for that drive.”
“No.”
I stared.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Something about her answer felt different.
True.
Miriam asked:
“Then who copied the files?”
Mom looked toward Frank.
Frank shook his head.
“Not me.”
Then Derek’s voice came from the doorway.
“No.”
Everyone turned.
Security stood behind him.
He had somehow been allowed upstairs because his attorney had arrived with him.
Derek smiled.
“I made the drive.”
Dad stood.
“You idiot.”
Derek laughed.
“You’re welcome.”
“For what?”
“For making sure somebody finally found it.”
I stared at him.
“You put it in Dad’s office?”
“Yes.”
“Then Lucas found it.”
“I didn’t expect that.”
“You burned his toys to recover it.”
Derek’s smile vanished.
“I panicked.”
“Because you were afraid I’d see the files.”
“No.”
He looked at Dad.
“I was afraid Dad would.”
Frank’s face changed.
Derek continued:
“That drive wasn’t evidence against me.”
May you like
He looked directly at me.
“It was evidence I was collecting against him.”
