Rich Girl Mocks The Single Dad Waiter’s English—Then Her Father Calls Him “Boss”
Chapter 8
The hidden documents were in the basement.
Amelia found them behind a false wall.
A metal safe.
Inside was the original trust agreement.
Daniel read it carefully.
“The trust doesn’t transfer control because of fraud.”
“What does it do?”
“It freezes voting rights.”
“For how long?”
“Ninety days.”
Amelia stared.
“And after that?”
“Control returns to the rightful beneficiary.”
She exhaled.
“So we’re safe.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“The clause can be overridden.”
“By who?”
“The board.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“The board can’t override it unless they have sixty percent of the voting shares.”
Amelia thought.
“Who has sixty percent?”
Daniel looked at her.
“You.”
She stared.
“That means Victor can’t force me out unless he takes my shares.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are they trying to frame me?”
“To make you surrender voluntarily.”
She frowned.
“Or?”
“Or to scare you into signing a proxy agreement.”
She remembered the power of attorney document.
“That was it.”
“Yes.”
She sat down.
“Then they weren’t trying to steal my identity.”
“No.”
“They were trying to make me give away control.”
Daniel nodded.
“And they almost did.”
She looked at him.
“You saved me.”
“Yes.”
“Why do I feel like I owe you everything?”
“You don’t.”
“You say that a lot.”
“Because it’s true.”
She smiled.
Then noticed something in the document.
A name.
The secondary trustee.
Daniel Brooks.
Her heart skipped.
“You.”
“Yes.”
“You were appointed trustee?”
“By your grandmother.”
“When?”
“Seven years ago.”
“So you’ve been protecting my shares?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t my father tell me?”
“Because your father wanted you to have a normal life.”
She laughed.
“My life has never been normal.”
Daniel smiled.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“Then why pretend to be a waiter?”
“Because I wanted to know whether the people running the company were loyal.”
“And?”
He studied her.
“I found loyalty.”
“Where?”
“In places I didn’t expect.”
She looked down.
“Such as?”
He smiled faintly.
“People who work twelve-hour shifts.”
“Anyone else?”
He didn’t answer.
She looked at him.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“Me?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
Her heart beat faster.
Before she could respond, they heard a noise upstairs.
Daniel immediately stood.
“Stay here.”
“Absolutely not.”
He looked at her.
“Amelia.”
“I’ve had enough of people telling me to stay somewhere while they handle everything.”
He smiled.
“Fair.”
They moved upstairs together.
The house was empty.
But the front door was open.
A black SUV was parked outside.
Daniel checked the windows.
No one.
Amelia noticed another envelope on the floor.
She picked it up.
Inside was a photograph.
Her mother.
Standing beside Daniel’s father.
And another woman.
Her grandmother.
On the back:
Your mother knew why your father died.
Amelia’s face went pale.
“My father?”
Daniel took the photograph.
“When did your father die?”
“Three years ago.”
“Heart attack?”
“Yes.”
He studied the picture.
“This may not have been natural.”
She stared.
“What are you saying?”
“Your family has been hiding the wrong secret.”
He opened the envelope again.
A second photograph.
Her father speaking with Victor.
A third.
Her father handing Victor a file.
A fourth.
Victor standing beside Mercer executives.
Amelia couldn’t breathe.
“My father was involved.”
“Maybe.”
She shook her head.
“He wasn’t like that.”
Daniel’s voice softened.
“You don’t know what people do when they think they’re protecting their families.”
She looked at him.
“You do.”
He nodded.
“My father did.”
“What happened?”
“He built a secret system.”
“And you destroyed it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because people became numbers.”
She stared.
“You didn’t want that.”
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“That’s why you work with employees.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why you became a waiter.”
“Yes.”
She smiled sadly.
“You really are strange.”
“I’ve been told.”
A silence settled.
Then Amelia said,
“I judged you because of your English.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I know.”
“I thought you were beneath me.”
“I know.”
“I was wrong.”
“Yes.”
She laughed.
“You really don’t make apologies easy.”
“I don’t believe apologies need to be rewarded.”
She looked into his eyes.
“Then what do you believe?”
“That people should change because they understand.”
“And have I changed?”
He studied her.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Enough to make me trust you.”
Her heart skipped.
“That’s a lot.”
“It is.”
She took a breath.
“Daniel.”
He stepped closer.
Their faces were inches apart.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“Emma?”
He listened.
“Where?”
He looked at Amelia.
His daughter had been taken from school.
