6
Hank’s words makes Chris flushed with
embarrassment and anger.
He’d kicked me out of the Callahan house
himself, I mean it!
A little while ago, in front of Johnson, Chris
was yelling at me, threatening to break my
legs.
Now he has to beg me in front of everyone.
That’s a bitter pill to swallow.
Barb speaks up, trying to sound sweet.
“Danny, we’re all family. Let’s not make a
scene.”
“The company will be your son’s someday. If
you help the company, you’re helping our
son.”
“You’re so rich. You could invest a few
million, right?”
I glance at Barb, and she gives me a flirty
look.
Is this woman thinking about getting back
with me?
She and her son didn’t hesitate to toss me
aside back then!
I ignore Barb, turning to Chris. “Sell me the
<
Callahan house. I’ll pay a high price. Two
million, how’s that?”
Chris’s face twitches. “Two million isn’t
enough to solve all the problems. How about
you…”
I say, “I’ve done the math. You sell me the
house, then sell off the other properties, and
that should be enough to keep the company
afloat.”
“If the company doesn’t go under, you’ve got
a money–making machine. You know what’s
more important.”
“Nobody’s gonna offer you more than I am for
the house.”
“But if you don’t want to, nevermind.”
く
Chris says, “Sell! I’ll have the contract drawn
up now.”
Soon, Chris’s assistant finishes the
paperwork. I look it over, sign, and transfer
the money.
With the house back in my name, I feel a
sense of relief.
My adopted parents brought me to the house
when I was a kid. It holds too many memories
for me.
Now, it’s finally mine again!
After finishing the paperwork, Chris puts on a
strained smile. “Danny, how about buying the
other properties? We’ve also got the chain
supermarket and the mall on the east side
<
Since we’re brothers, I’ll give you a discount.”
“Six million for the pair, how’s that sound?”
Does he think I’m an idiot?
Over the years, Chris has run a lot of those
businesses into the ground. They’re worthless
now.
Even if he gave them away, nobody would
want them. The debt is too high.
I don’t say no, looking closely at Chris and
Barb. “I’ll take it if you answer one question.”
Chris and Barb get excited, looking at me like
wolves. Chris asks, “What do you want to
know?”
Г
I take a deep breath. “Where were you when
Mom and Dad died?”
Chris and Barb tense up, their faces
changing.
Chris looks away and forces a laugh. “Danny,
why are you bringing that up again?”
“I told you before, it was Mikey’s birthday.
You were too busy to take him to the park, so
I took him and his mother.”
Barb hurries to agree. “That’s right, we were
at the park. We rushed to the hospital as
soon as we heard about the accident.”
“But when we got there, it was too late.
Mikey didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
<
Barb even pretends to wipe away a tear.
I frown, my voice cold. “This is your last
chance!”
“If you lie again, I’ll make sure the company
collapses, and you end up begging on the
street.”
“I couldn’t do it before, but I can definitely do
it now. Don’t think I’m kidding.”
“I’m asking again, where were you that day?”
Chris and Barb want to argue, insisting they
were at the park.
But they’re not stupid. They know I’m on to
something, and fear flashes in their eyes.
L
For years, I never gave up finding the truth
about my adopted parents‘ death, spending a
lot of time and money. Finally, I got some
leads pointing to Chris and Barb.
But I wasn’t sure who was the real
mastermind.
I say, “Since you don’t want to tell the truth,
get ready to go bankrupt.”
Then I say to Hank and the other business
leaders, “Hey, guys, can you help me out and
mess with the Callahan company?”
Hank and the others laugh, chiming in.
“We’ve been waiting for you to say the word!”
L
“I never liked Chris anyway. If it wasn’t for
you, I’d have done it long ago.”
“He’s useless and just doesn’t get it, even a
pig could run it better!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have the company
bankrupt in less than a month!”