Chapter 10 - THE HEIR THEY FORGOT
Marcus Ashford had grown up believing the company should have been his.
Not entirely.
Half.
Maybe more.
His father, William, had been Nathaniel’s father’s younger brother.
William loved parties.
Cars.
Women.
Risk.
Nathaniel’s father loved work.
When their grandfather divided company responsibilities, William received leisure and dividends.
Nathaniel’s father received control.
Catherine never forgave it.
Neither did Marcus.
At forty-two, Marcus had Nathaniel’s surname, Nathaniel’s schools, Nathaniel’s country-club memberships—
but not Nathaniel’s discipline.
Two failed restaurants.
A disastrous technology investment.
A yacht he lost to creditors.
Every time Marcus failed, Catherine blamed Nathaniel for refusing to rescue him.
Now Catherine sat in federal custody.
Conrad sat in a guarded hospital room.
Marcus had nothing left except anger.
He entered the Ashford estate during Rosa’s welcome-home dinner.
Not through the gates.
Through an old maintenance tunnel beneath the garden.
Nathaniel did not know it existed.
Marcus did.
They had used it as teenagers to sneak alcohol into the pool house.
At seven forty-five, twenty children sat beneath chandeliers eating Grace’s chicken soup and fresh bread.
Rosa, pale but recovering, sat in a wheelchair between Maya and Tyler.
Nathaniel raised a glass.
“To Rosa.”
Rosa smiled.
“To being difficult.”
Grace laughed.
Nathaniel nodded.
“To being very difficult.”
Everyone cheered.
Eleanor wiped her eyes.
Then the lights went out.
Children screamed.
Emergency lights should have activated.
They did not.
Nathaniel stood.
“Everyone stay where you are.”
Grace immediately moved toward the children.
Security radios crackled.
Then silence.
Jammed.
Nathaniel felt cold.
This was not an outage.
“Grace.”
“I know.”
They began moving children toward the pantry corridor, which contained an interior storm room.
A shape appeared near the dining-room entrance.
Nathaniel saw the gun first.
Then Marcus.
“Hello, cousin.”
Eleanor gasped.
“Marcus?”
He smiled.
“Aunt Eleanor.”
Nathaniel stepped in front of the table.
“Put the gun down.”
Marcus laughed.
“You always did love giving orders.”
“What do you want?”
“You know what I want.”
“No.”
“Everything.”
Nathaniel glanced toward Grace.
Keep moving.
She understood.
Children slipped toward the side door one by one.
Marcus noticed.
“Stop.”
Grace froze.
“Everyone stays.”
Nathaniel moved sideways.
Marcus aimed at him.
“You ruined my mother.”
“Your mother ruined herself.”
“You put her in prison.”
“She kidnapped Rosa.”
Marcus’s face twisted.
“You think she wanted that?”
Rosa stared.
Marcus pointed toward her.
“That was Conrad. Mother wanted leverage.”
Rosa’s voice trembled.
“She knew.”
Marcus shrugged.
“People make sacrifices.”
Nathaniel’s expression became murderous.
“Children are not sacrifices.”
Marcus smiled.
“Look at you.”
“What?”
“Two weeks around poor people and suddenly you’re a saint.”
Nathaniel said nothing.
Marcus continued.
“You think they love you?”
His eyes moved toward the children.
“They love your money.”
Tyler shouted, “I like his movie room!”
Even in terror, several children almost laughed.
Marcus’s face hardened.
Nathaniel nearly smiled.
“Bad audience.”
Marcus pointed the gun toward Tyler.
Grace stepped between them instantly.
“No.”
Nathaniel moved too.
Marcus stared at Grace.
“You’re the cook.”
“She has a name.”
“Yes.”
Marcus smiled.
“The famous Grace Bennett.”
Nathaniel’s voice dropped.
“Don’t.”
Marcus looked between them.
“Mother said you’d lost your mind over her.”
Grace’s eyes flicked toward Nathaniel.
Terrible timing.
Marcus continued.
“She said Nathaniel Ashford canceled half a billion dollars because a pretty cook made him feel guilty.”
Nathaniel took another step.
“Leave her out of this.”
“There it is.”
Marcus raised the weapon.
“You really do love her.”
Silence.
Grace stopped breathing.
Nathaniel could have denied it.
He should have.
Instead he looked at Grace.
And understood that if this became the last minute of his life, he would not lie in it.
“Yes.”
Grace stared.
Marcus laughed.
“How touching.”
He turned the gun toward her.
Nathaniel moved.
“Then maybe you finally understand what it’s like to lose something.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“Marcus.”
He looked at her.
She slapped him.
Hard.
Everyone froze.
Marcus stared at Eleanor.
She stood between him and Grace.
“You spoiled little coward.”
“Aunt Eleanor—”
“Your father would be ashamed of you.”
His face changed.
“Don’t talk about him.”
“I will talk about my brother-in-law however I please.”
“Move.”
“No.”
He raised the gun.
Nathaniel calculated distance.
Too far.
Grace had children behind her.
Then Rosa spoke.
“Your mother never loved you.”
Marcus turned.
“What?”
Rosa looked straight at him.
“She used you.”
“You don’t know her.”
“I heard her and Conrad talking.”
Marcus’s face tightened.
“She told him after Nathaniel was removed, you would be useful for six months.”
Silence.
Nathaniel looked at Rosa.
She continued.
“Then she planned to replace you too.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
“She called you unstable.”
“Shut up.”
“She said you would destroy anything you touched.”
“SHUT UP!”
His gun moved toward Rosa.
Nathaniel charged.
The dining room exploded into motion.
Marcus fired.
Glass shattered.
Grace threw herself over two children.
Nathaniel slammed Marcus into the wall.
The gun fell beneath the table.
Marcus punched him.
Nathaniel hit back.
Years of resentment came out in seconds.
Marcus grabbed a broken chair leg.
Nathaniel blocked it with his arm.
Pain shot upward.
Then Grace kicked the gun away.
Marcus shoved Nathaniel and ran.
Security power returned.
Lights flashed on.
Guards flooded the corridor.
Marcus disappeared through the library.
Nathaniel followed.
They reached the garden.
Rain had started.
Of course it had.
Marcus ran toward the old tunnel.
Nathaniel tackled him near the fountain.
Both crashed into mud.
Marcus rolled over.
“You always win!”
Nathaniel pinned him.
“No.”
He looked toward the mansion.
Through the windows, twenty children watched.
Grace stood among them.
“I spent most of my life losing things I didn’t know mattered.”
Security officers surrounded Marcus.
Nathaniel stood.
Marcus screamed as they restrained him.
“You think they’ll stay?”
Nathaniel looked back at Grace.
“They don’t owe me that.”
For once, he understood love could not be acquired.
Not with money.
Not with houses.
Not even with rescue.
It had to be chosen.
Later, police removed Marcus.
The children finally went to bed.
Nathaniel sat alone in the dark kitchen with ice against his bruised arm.
Grace entered.
Neither spoke.
Then she sat beside him.
“You said something.”
Nathaniel looked at the ice.
“I remember.”
“Did you mean it?”
He could have protected himself.
Instead he looked at her.
“Yes.”
Grace swallowed.
“Nathaniel…”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I do.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t owe me an answer because I helped Mercer. You don’t owe me affection because I changed.”
Grace’s eyes softened.
“That’s surprisingly mature.”
“I’m having a difficult month.”
She laughed quietly.
Then she reached for his hand.
“I’m afraid.”
“Of me?”
“No.”
She looked around the mansion.
“Of this.”
“The house?”
“Your world.”
Nathaniel turned his hand beneath hers.
“I’m afraid of your world too.”
Grace smiled.
“That might be the strangest thing a billionaire has ever said.”
“I don’t know how to belong in it.”
“You don’t have to.”
He squeezed her fingers.
“Neither do you.”
Grace looked at him for a long moment.
Then she leaned forward and kissed him.
Softly.
Briefly.
When she pulled away, Nathaniel looked stunned.
Grace smiled.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“I own five houses.”
“I know.”
“I make a big deal out of everything.”
She laughed.
And from the hallway came Lucy’s whisper.
“I KNEW IT.”
Grace closed her eyes.
Nathaniel started laughing.
The children erupted from behind the doorway.
Twenty witnesses.
May you like
Zero privacy.
And somehow Nathaniel would not have changed it.
