Chapter 10 - THE FIRST MILLION
“Tell me.”
Claire looked devastated.
“I didn’t know how to.”
“How did Cole Dynamics get its first million dollars?”
Rachel remained silent beside Owen’s bassinet.
Claire sat down.
“Your original angel investor wasn’t Victor.”
“That’s impossible.”
“He arranged the paperwork.”
“Then who funded us?”
Claire looked at Rachel.
“Harold Bennett.”
The room went silent.
I actually laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because my brain refused to accept it.
“Rachel’s father hated me.”
“Later.”
Claire opened an archived file.
“Seven years ago, when your prototype was about to fail, Harold invested through an anonymous trust.”
“Why?”
Rachel looked equally stunned.
Claire handed her a letter.
Rachel read it.
Then started crying.
Her father had written:
Nathan is arrogant, obsessive, and terrible at balancing his life. But he loves my daughter. I can see it before he can.
My chest tightened.
If his company succeeds, Rachel will never know I helped. That is intentional. I want to see what kind of man he becomes when he believes success belongs entirely to him.
I closed my eyes.
That test had not gone well.
Claire continued.
“Victor discovered the investment and later took credit for saving the company. Harold let him.”
“Why?”
“Because he wanted to trace Victor’s financial network through us.”
I felt betrayed.
Used.
Then ashamed for immediately making it about me again.
Rachel squeezed the letter.
“My father funded your company.”
“Yes.”
“And never told either of us.”
“Yes.”
My phone rang.
Daniel again.
This time I answered on speaker.
“You know now.”
“What do you want?”
“My share.”
“Of what?”
“The company.”
I almost snapped.
Then stopped.
“Why do you think you have one?”
“Because Mom knew about Harold’s investment.”
My heart stopped.
Daniel continued.
“She helped arrange it.”
“Our mother?”
“Yes.”
“She never knew Harold.”
“She knew him better than you think.”
Rachel frowned.
Daniel laughed.
“Still think this is just corporate fraud?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Our parents had a business together before we were born.”
I stared at the phone.
“That’s a lie.”
“Check Mom’s old storage unit.”
Then he said something that made even Claire go still.
“Cole Dynamics wasn’t your idea, Nathan.”
My throat closed.
“It was Dad’s.”
Our father had died eighteen years ago.
Before smartphones.
Before cloud computing.
Before the technology Cole Dynamics built even existed.
May you like
Daniel whispered:
“And Harold Bennett helped him design the first version.”
