Chapter 10 - THE HELICOPTER THAT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO LAND
Emma called Andrew.
For the first time since leaving.
He answered before the first ring finished.
“Emma.”
“Do not get on your helicopter Monday.”
Silence.
“What?”
“Marcus planned something.”
Andrew’s voice changed.
“Where are you?”
“That isn’t relevant.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“The baby?”
“Yes.”
He exhaled.
Emma continued:
“Your Monday flight may be compromised.”
Andrew said nothing for two seconds.
Then:
“I already canceled it.”
Emma frowned.
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“Why?”
“Because I fired every contractor Marcus personally approved.”
That was almost intelligent.
“Good.”
“Emma.”
“What?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“No.”
Silence.
She softened slightly.
“Not now.”
“Okay.”
Again.
Andrew learning the word too late did not mean she owed him access.
Federal aviation investigators inspected the helicopter.
They found nothing dramatic like cut wires.
Instead, a maintenance log had been falsified.
A critical rotor component was past replacement limits.
Could it have failed Monday?
Maybe.
Could prosecutors prove attempted murder?
Not yet.
Marcus’s communications would matter.
Then he disappeared again.
This time from federal surveillance.
Help from inside?
Possibly.
Andrew finally agreed to turn over Weston Capital’s internal servers voluntarily.
The board suspended him temporarily while the fraud investigation continued.
For a man like Andrew, that probably hurt more than handcuffs.
Emma did not celebrate.
She was busy.
She invoked the Bennett trust clause.
Andrew’s voting proxy ended.
Her twenty-four percent returned.
The board needed a temporary independent director.
Emma nominated Rachel.
Not herself.
Yet.
She wanted to learn first.
That decision surprised everyone.
Andrew most of all.
He sent one text:
You could take control.
Emma replied:
I don’t want control I don’t understand.
His response:
That may be the smartest thing anyone involved has done.
She almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the divorce moved forward.
Andrew did not contest.
That mattered.
He signed acknowledgment of service.
No threats.
No asset games.
No custody claim before birth.
His attorney proposed mediation.
Emma accepted through counsel.
Not reconciliation.
Procedure.
Then Marcus made his move.
He did not go after Andrew.
He went to the Bennett farm.
Emma’s parents were away with relatives.
Security alarms triggered.
Police arrived.
Marcus escaped.
But he left something burning in the barn.
The original development maps.
Copies only.
The deed remained safely with counsel.
Then investigators found a hidden safe behind an old workbench.
Emma’s father had never known it existed.
Inside were Samuel Bennett’s old Brightwell records.
And one audio cassette.
Samuel’s voice.
Speaking to someone.
Andrew.
Twenty-three years old.
Before he married Emma.
Samuel said:
“If you ever use my granddaughter to keep control of this company, I will destroy everything I helped you build.”
Young Andrew answered:
“I love her.”
Samuel replied:
“Then tell her the truth.”
Emma stopped breathing.
Andrew had been told before the wedding.
Tell her.
He chose not to.
Then young Andrew said:
“If I tell Emma how much she owns, she’ll think I’m proposing because of the shares.”
Samuel answered:
“Then wait.”
Andrew:
“I don’t want to lose her.”
Samuel:
“Wanting her is not permission to decide what she knows.”
Emma closed her eyes.
May you like
Her grandfather had warned him perfectly.
Andrew ignored him.
