Chapter 4
“Are you signing or not?”
Ethan slapped the document onto the table and tossed a pen beside it.
I stayed in my chair.
The hallway outside was growing louder. Guests were still gathering to watch.
Fiona got up to close the door. As she passed Ethan, she patted his shoulder.
“Don’t rush him, sweetheart. Your brother just needs time to think.”
“About what?”
Ethan braced both hands on the table and leaned toward me. “You’re a mechanic. You walk in here waving a notarized document and try to steal my engagement. What gives you the right?”
“I told you. The agreement says the eldest Bennett son.”
“So what if you’re the eldest? What have you ever done for this family?”
He straightened. “I started helping Dad run the company at sixteen. Landed my first project at eighteen. Secured the Whitmore partnership at twenty. And you? What can you do? Change a tire?”
The door opened.
Richard Bennett walked in.
My father.
He looked much older than the last time I’d seen him.
That had been five years ago. He’d passed through Bayport on a business trip and stood outside Grandpa’s garage for five minutes without coming in.
“Dad.”
He looked at me, his expression conflicted.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done today?”
“I came for the marriage you arranged.”
“I arranged it for Ethan.”
“The agreement says the eldest son.”
“Enough.” He slammed his palm against a cabinet.
Fiona hurried over to support him.
“Richard, don’t get yourself worked up.”
He shook off her hand and walked up to me.
“Listen carefully, Daniel. I negotiated this marriage with the Whitmores, and it’s for Ethan.
Sending you away as a child was wrong of me, but that was between the adults. You show up now and cause a scene—where does that leave our family’s reputation?”
“You wronged me, so you gave all my mother’s belongings to Ethan?”
He froze.
“What belongings?”
“Her prayer beads. Her jade pin. Her seal. He has all of them.”
Richard turned to Ethan.
Ethan touched the pin on his lapel.
“Dad, you gave them to me. Remember? You said no one wanted them after your first wife died, so I might as well keep them as mementos.”
“Danny.” Richard’s voice hardened. “You’re bringing up petty things like that now?”
“Petty?”
“It’s a few pieces of jade. I’ll replace them.”
I let out a laugh.
“Replace them? With what? The beads my mother wore on her wrist before she died—you can just replace those?”
His face flushed red.
Mrs. Whitmore’s voice came from the doorway.
“Mr. Bennett, the guests are waiting. Can you resolve this quickly?”
Richard took a deep breath, then turned back to me.
“Sign it. I’m telling you for the last time.”
“What if I don’t?”
He stepped closer.
I thought he was about to say something.
Instead, his palm landed hard across my face.
Fiona gave a little gasp and arranged her face into just the right amount of distress.
Ethan stepped back twice, clearing the stage for a father to discipline his son.
“Get on your knees,” Richard said, his voice shaking.
“Apologize to everyone. Then get out.”
I didn’t move.
The guests at the door whispered. Someone took out a phone.
Ethan pulled a tissue from his pocket and offered it to Richard. “Dad, calm down. Don’t let him get to you.”
As he pulled it out, his phone slipped from his pocket and hit the floor.
Screen up.
A message appeared.
The contact name was a red heart followed by Lily.
The message was just one line.
“Baby, the ultrasound results are back. It’s twins. I’m so scared.”
No one else in the room noticed it.
Only me.
I slowly straightened and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.
“Ethan, who is Lily Foster?”