What Money Could Not Fix
Chapter 09 - What Money Could Not Fix
Elena arrived at Nathan's office furious.
He looked up from his desk.
"You could have called."
"You could have asked."
Nathan immediately understood.
"The trusts."
"Yes, the trusts."
"They're my sons."
"They are not an account you forgot to fund."
Nathan stood.
"I know that."
"Do you?"
Elena threw the paperwork onto his desk.
"Because right now it looks like you're trying to solve seven years with money."
"I'm trying to make sure they're protected."
"They were protected before you knew they existed."
The words hurt.
Elena knew they would.
But she needed him to understand.
"I worked two jobs when they were babies."
Nathan's face changed.
"I know."
"No, you don't."
She stepped closer.
"You don't know what it feels like to divide one dinner into four portions and tell your children you already ate."
Nathan looked down.
"You don't know what it feels like to sit beside a hospital bed wondering whether you can afford to miss another shift."
His eyes filled.
"And you don't know what it feels like when someone suddenly decides money should make all of that disappear."
Nathan was silent for a long time.
Then he tore the unsigned trust documents in half.
Elena stared.
"What are you doing?"
"Listening."
He sat down.
"What do they need?"
She hadn't expected the question.
"Right now?"
"Right now."
Elena thought.
"Consistency."
Nathan nodded.
"Okay."
"Don't promise things."
"Okay."
"Don't show up every day for two weeks and then disappear because your life gets busy."
"I won't."
"Don't make me the villain when I tell you no."
"I won't."
"Don't expect them to love you because you're their biological father."
Nathan swallowed.
"I don't."
The anger left her slowly.
Nathan looked at the torn paperwork.
"I wanted to give them something."
"You can."
"What?"
"Tuesday."
He frowned.
"What?"
"Noah has baseball practice Tuesday."
Nathan's expression softened.
"Eli has an art show Thursday."
Nathan nodded.
"Sam has a dentist appointment Friday and is terrified of dentists."
"I'll be there."
Elena picked up her purse.
"We'll see."
As she reached the door, Nathan spoke.
"Elena."
She stopped.
"I'm sorry you had to become strong because everyone else was cowardly."
She closed her eyes.
That sentence almost broke through defenses she had spent seven years building.
Almost.
Then Nathan's office phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"What?"
Elena turned.
Nathan listened.
Then slowly sat down.
When he hung up, his face was white.
"What happened?"
He looked at her.
"My mother just froze every company account connected to my name."
Elena stared.
May you like
Nathan gave a bitter laugh.
"Apparently, Evelyn has decided she'd rather lose her son than lose control of him."
