Chapter 4 - The Secret Behind the Tournament
The woman refused to identify herself over the phone.
She asked me to meet her the next morning.
I agreed.
At ten, I arrived at a small office downtown.
A woman in her sixties greeted me.
“I'm Margaret Holloway.”
My heart jumped.
“Are you related to Evelyn?”
“No.”
“Then why Holloway?”
She smiled.
“Because I administer the trust your father established.”
“My father?”
She nodded.
My father had died when I was young.
He had left me almost nothing.
Or so I had believed.
Margaret explained that my father had discovered my plans to leave Evelyn.
He had been furious.
He believed I was making the greatest mistake of my life.
Before his death, he created a trust for my future children.
Two beneficiaries.
Julian.
Miles.
I stared at her.
“How much?”
“Twenty-four million dollars.”
I nearly fell out of my chair.
“What?”
“The trust has grown significantly.”
“Why didn't I know?”
“Your father instructed us not to tell you until your sons turned eighteen.”
I couldn't speak.
“Why?”
“Because he believed you might use the money to control them.”
That sentence cut deeply.
He had known me better than I knew myself.
Then Margaret explained something else.
Victoria had discovered the trust.
She had attempted to access it.
Multiple times.
“She couldn't,” Margaret said.
“But she tried.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the trust requires your sons' consent.”
I sat back.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
Victoria wasn't simply angry because Preston lost.
She was afraid.
She had believed the future belonged to her.
But the two boys she called “fatherless nobodies” controlled something worth millions.
And she had just insulted them publicly.
“Did she know they were my sons?”
Margaret nodded.
“She knew.”
My blood went cold.
“How?”
“She hired an investigator.”
“When?”
“Almost two years ago.”
I stared at the table.
Victoria had known.
She had known about Julian and Miles.
She had known about the trust.
And she had hidden them from me.
Not because she wanted to protect me.
Because she wanted the money.
“Does Evelyn know?”
“Yes.”
“Did she tell my sons?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she didn't want their relationship with you to be influenced by money.”
I closed my eyes.
For thirteen years, Evelyn had protected my children from my wealth.
Victoria had done the opposite.
She had tried to use my money to control everyone.
Margaret slid another folder toward me.
“There's one more thing.”
Inside was a letter.
From my father.
It had been written before his death.
Richard,
If you ever read this, I hope you have changed.
Your children deserve a father who chooses them before money, before ambition, before pride.
If you have become that man, then the trust belongs to them.
If you haven't, stay away.
I couldn't read anymore.
I folded the letter.
Then Margaret said:
“Your sons already know about the trust.”
I looked up.
“What?”
“They discovered it last year.”
“Do they know I'm the beneficiary's father?”
“Yes.”
I felt my stomach drop.
“Then why did they act like they didn't know me?”
Margaret smiled sadly.
“Because they wanted to know whether you would choose them without knowing about the money.”
I sat frozen.
The tournament wasn't simply a competition.
May you like
It was a test.
And I had arrived thirteen years late.
