Chapter 6 - The Desperate Search
For the next four days, Richard Bennett lived in a terrifying twilight zone.
His company was effectively dead. Without access to the K Street offices or the proprietary software servers hosted on Vanguard’s cloud infrastructure, Bennett Technologies ceased operations overnight. His board members resigned one by one, terrified of being dragged into the impending financial fraud investigation.
Richard was forced to move into his mother’s cramped, two-bedroom apartment in Arlington. The air inside reeked of stale tea, anxiety, and Evelyn’s non-stop weeping.
"You have to find her, Richard!" Evelyn wailed, pacing across her worn living room rug. "You have to make her understand that she can't treat us this way! We are the Bennetts! She was a nobody until you married her!"
"Shut up, Mother!" Richard finally snapped, slamming his fist onto the coffee table. "Don't you get it yet? She bought our house! She bought my office building! She’s been funding my company through private holding loans for four years! If she pulls the plug completely, I’m going to prison for corporate insolvency!"
Evelyn stared at her son, her mouth working silently like a fish out of water. "She... she had that kind of money?"
"She has tens of millions," Richard muttered, sinking his face into his hands. "And we treated her like a maid."
Just then, Richard’s phone buzzed on the table. It was a formal digital invitation sent via courier.
He picked it up and opened the file. It was an executive pass to the Vanguard Strategic Assets Annual Leadership Gala, held at the grand ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner.
At the bottom of the invitation, written in sleek, elegant gold script, was a personal note:
“Richard, if you want to discuss the settlement terms for your company and your personal freedom, be there at 8:00 PM. Come alone.”
Richard looked up at his mother, a desperate ray of hope igniting in his eyes. "She wants to meet. She wants to negotiate."
"See?" Evelyn immediately perked up, straightening her blouse. "I knew it! She just wanted attention! Go there, Richard. Remind her of how much she loved you. Stroke her ego, tell her she made her point, and bring her back home!"
May you like
Richard looked at his mother, feeling a sudden, sickening wave of disgust—not just at her, but at himself for listening to her for eleven long years.
"She isn't coming back home, Mom," Richard said softly, picking up his car keys. "Because she already owns the home. And I'm just beginning to realize I never really knew her at all."
