Chapter 9 - Rachel Bennett Had a Choice
Michael called his sister immediately.
Rachel Bennett answered on the third ring.
“You need to come over.”
“I’m busy.”
“Mom emailed you about Claire’s pregnancy.”
Silence.
Michael continued.
“Now.”
Rachel arrived forty minutes later.
The moment she saw the printed email, her face changed.
Claire watched carefully.
“Did you know about Lucy?”
Rachel looked at Michael.
“No.”
“Did you know Mom interfered with the first pregnancy?”
“No.”
“Then explain this.”
Rachel sat down.
Eleanor had told her the current pregnancy threatened the company.
Not because of a hidden first child.
Because of a trust provision.
Rachel believed Eleanor wanted a corporate restructuring.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Michael asked.
“Because Mom said it was temporary.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“That sentence seems popular in your family.”
Rachel looked ashamed.
Then Hannah showed her Lucy’s file.
Rachel covered her mouth.
“She’s alive?”
Michael’s eyes hardened.
“You knew Claire had supposedly miscarried.”
“Yes.”
“Mom took that baby.”
Rachel stared at the photograph.
“Oh my God.”
Claire wanted to hate her.
But Rachel looked genuinely destroyed.
Then Claire asked the important question.
“What did Eleanor want you to do about this pregnancy?”
Rachel hesitated.
“Delay the board meeting until after the baby was born.”
“That’s all?”
Rachel looked down.
“No.”
Michael stood.
Rachel continued quickly.
“She wanted me to convince you to sign new voting proxies.”
Michael understood.
If he transferred voting authority before the baby’s birth, Eleanor could preserve control even after trust protections activated.
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because it sounded wrong.”
Rachel opened her handbag.
“I brought the unsigned proxies.”
Hannah examined them.
Buried inside was a clause temporarily assigning Michael’s voting rights to Eleanor.
Michael shook his head.
“She was setting it up again.”
Rachel began crying.
“I thought Mom was controlling. I didn’t know she was dangerous.”
Claire looked at her.
“You knew enough to hide the papers.”
Rachel nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then now you choose.”
Rachel stared at Claire.
“Between Mom and you?”
“No.”
Claire’s voice was calm.
“Between silence and truth.”
Rachel looked at Lucy’s photograph again.
Then she unlocked her phone.
“I have messages.”
Eleanor’s texts.
Dozens.
Pressure.
Threats.
Instructions.
One stood out.
If Claire starts asking about Saint Agnes, remind Michael how unstable she was after the loss.
Claire stared at it.
Eleanor had planned to weaponize Claire’s grief against her.
Rachel whispered:
“I’ll testify.”
Michael looked at her.
“Even if Mom loses everything?”
Rachel swallowed.
“She took a child from her mother.”
Claire saw something change in Rachel.
Not courage exactly.
Responsibility.
Then Rachel scrolled further.
Her expression changed.
“There’s another message.”
Dated the morning of the baby shower.
Eleanor wrote:
I’ll handle Claire today. Keep Michael out until four.
Michael slowly looked at his sister.
Rachel went pale.
“I didn’t know what she meant.”
But she had delayed Michael at the office.
A fake meeting.
A sudden client issue.
May you like
That was why he arrived late.
Rachel had unknowingly helped Eleanor isolate Claire.
