Chapter 5 — The Younger Son
Daniel Cole had always lived in Ethan’s shadow.
Ethan was disciplined.
Daniel was charming.
Ethan built factories.
Daniel attended parties.
Their father, Henry Cole, had once described Daniel as a man with “a brilliant engine and no steering wheel.”
After Henry died, Margaret protected her younger son from every consequence.
When Daniel crashed a company car, she paid the other driver.
When he lost money gambling in Monaco, she covered the debt.
When he was arrested after a nightclub fight, she convinced a witness to disappear.
Ethan had spent years believing Daniel was irresponsible.
He had never considered him dangerous.
They invited Daniel to the mansion under the excuse of discussing Margaret’s legal defense.
He arrived wearing an expensive blue jacket and carrying a bottle of wine.
When he saw Ava sitting upright in her replacement wheelchair, his smile faltered.
“You look better.”
“I stopped taking the vitamins,” Ava replied.
Daniel glanced at Ethan.
“So Mother made a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Ethan asked.
Daniel poured himself a drink.
“She was trying to protect the company.”
“By drugging my wife?”
“You know how Mother gets.”
Ethan closed the study door.
Daniel’s hand froze around the glass.
Ava placed a photograph on the table.
It showed the missing traffic camera on Ridgeway Pass.
“You accessed the executive floor the night of my crash.”
Daniel laughed too quickly.
“I access that floor all the time.”
“You told police you were in Miami.”
“I flew back early.”
“Why did you lie?”
Daniel drank.
“I didn’t want to become involved.”
“Involved in what?” Ethan asked.
Daniel set the glass down.
“Mother called me that night. She said there was a problem with Ava’s car.”
Ava’s fingers tightened around the wheelchair arms.
“What kind of problem?”
“She said someone had tampered with it.”
“Who?”
“She didn’t say.”
“And you believed her?” Ethan demanded.
Daniel looked toward the window.
“I went to headquarters because she told me to delete a security alert.”
Ava felt cold.
“What alert?”
“An automated warning from one of our prototype systems. The car transmitted a brake-pressure failure signal before the crash.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“You erased it?”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Mother said the signal was faulty. She said if the press discovered a Cole vehicle malfunctioned, the company would collapse.”
“You erased evidence while Ava was trapped in that car.”
“I didn’t know she was pregnant.”
The room became silent.
Daniel realized his mistake.
Ava stared at him.
“I never said anything about the baby.”
Daniel looked trapped.
Ethan grabbed his brother by the jacket.
“How did you know?”
Daniel pushed him away.
“Mother told me afterward.”
“She told me it was a false positive,” Ava said.
Daniel’s eyes flickered.
That was enough.
Ava understood.
Margaret had not merely discovered the pregnancy.
She had discussed it before the crash.
Daniel moved toward the door.
Detective Hale stepped into the hallway.
“You’re not leaving.”
Daniel turned pale.
“You recorded this?”
Ava pointed toward the desk.
A small camera blinked beside a lamp.
Daniel looked at Ethan with hatred.
“You set me up.”
“No,” Ethan said. “Mother set you up eighteen months ago.”
Hale entered with two officers.
“Daniel Cole, you are being detained on suspicion of evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.”
Daniel backed away.
“You can’t prove I caused the crash.”
“No one said you did,” Hale replied.
Daniel’s breathing became rapid.
For several seconds, he looked toward the door, calculating whether he could run.
Then his shoulders collapsed.
“I didn’t touch the brakes.”
“Who did?” Ava asked.
Daniel shook his head.
“I don’t know his name.”
“Then tell us what you do know.”
Daniel looked at Ethan.
“Mother hired someone through Victor.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Why?”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Because Ava was going to replace Victor and cut off my trust payments.”
Ava remembered the plan she had prepared before the gala.
Cole Automotive was losing millions through unexplained consulting expenses. She had intended to fire Victor and demand an audit.
Margaret must have learned about it.
Daniel continued.
“Mother said Ava’s accident would solve several problems. She said the company needed a tragedy people could understand.”
Ava’s stomach twisted.
“A tragedy people could understand?”
“She said a grieving husband and a disabled wife would generate sympathy. She planned to keep you alive just long enough to transfer the shares.”
Ethan stared at his brother.
“And the baby?”
Daniel’s voice became almost inaudible.
“Mother said a child would make the shares impossible to control.”
Ava’s vision blurred.
Margaret had not tried to kill her despite the pregnancy.
She had tried to kill her because of it.
Detective Hale led Daniel away.
Before leaving, Daniel turned toward Ava.
“There’s a garage outside Rockford,” he said. “Victor used it for private modifications.”
“What kind of modifications?”
May you like
Daniel looked down.
“The kind that don’t appear in company records.”
