Chapter Two: The Truth Richard Buried
Richard ordered his driver to bring the car around, but Ethan refused to leave until he knew the rescued test driver was stable.
That decision shamed Madison. The man she had struck had risked his life for a stranger, while she had cared more about a machine.
Twenty minutes later, Richard, Madison, and Ethan rode together through the rain toward St. Matthew’s Hospital. No one spoke until Richard finally broke the silence.
“How do you know Daniel?”
Ethan stared through the rain-covered window.
“He came into my garage six months ago. He had an old pickup with a bad transmission and no money. He offered to work off the bill.”
Madison gave a bitter laugh.
“My brother knew more about engines than anyone in this family.”
“He said the same thing,” Ethan replied.
Daniel became more than a customer. He swept floors, rebuilt carburetors, and ate dinner above Ethan’s garage. He revealed his last name only three weeks earlier, after collapsing beside a tool chest.
Cancer had spread through his liver.
Daniel gave Ethan the watch and a sealed letter. He said Richard would recognize one, but might refuse to read the other.
“Why didn’t he contact us himself?” Madison asked.
“Because he believed your father still hated him.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“I never hated my son.”
Ethan finally looked at him.
“Maybe you should tell him that.”
At the hospital, they found Daniel thin and pale beneath a white blanket, but unmistakably alive. His silver-streaked hair framed the same stubborn eyes as Richard’s.
Father and son simply stared.
“You took your time,” Daniel said weakly.
Richard stepped closer.
“I thought you were dead.”
“You made it clear I was dead to you.”
Madison looked between them.
“What happened?”
Fifteen years earlier, Daniel had discovered that a faulty Vale Motors ignition system could cause vehicles to stall at highway speed. Richard’s executives had buried the internal report to protect a major product launch.
Daniel threatened to expose them.
Richard believed his son wanted to destroy the company. In a moment of anger, he called Daniel disloyal and ordered security to remove him from the building.
Days later, Daniel’s car was discovered burned near the Canadian border. No body was recovered, but everyone assumed he had died.
Daniel had actually escaped after another vehicle forced him off the road. Terrified and convinced the company’s security chief was involved, he disappeared under another name while secretly collecting evidence.
Richard lowered himself into the chair beside the hospital bed.
“I chose the company over you.”
Daniel’s eyes filled with tears.
“You chose your pride.”
“Yes,” Richard said. “And it cost us fifteen years.”
Daniel reached beneath his pillow and handed Madison a small flash drive.
“The defect still exists in older vehicles,” he explained. “The crash tonight wasn’t an accident. Someone altered the prototype to destroy the remaining evidence and blame Ethan.”
Ethan frowned.
“Who?”
May you like
The hospital door opened.
Vale Motors security chief Marcus Kane stood in the doorway, one hand hidden inside his coat.
