Chapter 41: The Secret Past

As Scarlet sat next to Bernard, the weight of the papers in front of her weighing down on her, the warm glow of the desk lamp created long shadows over the little study. As Bernard turned over the documents, her stomach started to drop; his forehead wrinkled deeper every second. She couldn't ignore this. The actual truth about Wyatt was buried under layers of dishonesty; each layer they removed grew darker. Bernard's voice disturbed the quiet and it was colder than she had ever heard it before. Wyatt has been engaged in activities... far gloomier than you are aware of. His offers were about power more than about money.

Also under control is. She leaned forward and her pulse sped. She questioned, her voice scarcely a whisper, "What are you saying?," yet every word quivering with expectancy. Bernard looked aside straight away. He seemed to consider his next words carefully, as though choosing whether or not to expose the truth capable of transforming everything. At last he spoke, his voice weighed with sadness. "Your father wasn't only Scarlet's business partner." He was his point of leverage. Wyatt found what he was looking for among your father's debt. Everything that took place was planned. Scar felt the earth under her change. Father of hers. The man she had searched for, the one whose memory she had always assumed to be the result of a series of wrong choices, was victim of circumstance. However, this? This was not like others. It was deliberate. Her father had fell into the trap Wyatt had planned. She closed her eyes and her mind flew. No; this cannot be true. My dad would not have let himself be controlled in such manner. More to persuade herself than anybody else, the words poured out in a hurry. Bernard spoke softly but with firmness. Scarlet, he had no choice.

Wyatt understands how to play people such that they believe they are winning when in fact they are losing. Your father lacked the ability to object. And right now you are entangled in the same web. Scarlet's stomach turned over and she started to have a cold sweatshirt along her spine. If Bernard was correct, then all she had known about the way her life had fallen apart—about the way her father had died—had been a lie. While Scarlett had been blind to it, Wyatt had tugged the strings. "I cannot" Her speech faltered. "I find this unbelievable." Why wouldn't you have told me sooner? Why didn't someone alert me? Bernard's eyes softened and his expression combined shame and regret. "Scarlet, I wanted you not to know the truth.

You should not know how far it all stretched. You must now, nevertheless, see it. This goes beyond your father these days. It relates to you. Wyatt will do anything to regain power; today, you are the one obstructing his path. His comments seemed to her like a physical blow. She had battled for the wrong things for years, following shadows. She finally understood, though. This transcended the company or the history of her family. It has to do with survival. She stood quickly, her legs wobbly under her. We have to stop him, Bernard. currently. Before he turns everything upside down. Bernard stood too, his face determined. Scarlet, I will assist you. But we have to move quickly. Wyatt won't give up without struggle. As Scarlett descended the Beaumont estate's great staircase, the evening air was charged with anxiety. Though on the surface the gala had been successful, within something was falling apart. It was felt in the pit of her stomach. Now there was Tucker, the burgeoning connection with Bernard, the discussion she had overheard.

Tucker was standing close to the fireplace, his big shoulders stiff and his eyes locked on the flames as though they contained the solutions to his inner conflict. Scar hesitated then came up to him not sure what to say. Their conflict was evident, and everything between them had been convoluted lately. She spotted something else though, as she approached. His eyes flicked towards her, then locked momentarily. When things were about to explode and they were both too near the brink for comfort, he looked that same way. "You've been spending a lot of time with Bernard lately," Tucker remarked in a quiet, under control voice. But beneath it something Scar had not anticipated. Was it ambition? Her heart skipping a beat, she stopped right there. Her voice clipped, more defensive than she intended, she questioned, "What are you talking about?" Tucker's mouth closed as he moved forward, his eyes sharply probing hers. You have been far away. And just now you are all grins with him. Do you even know what he is actually planning?

The breath of Scarlet stopped. "Tucker, Bernard is helping me here. As you are aware. Tucker snapped out, "I have no idea what he is assisting you with." And I find it objectionable. Though hardly audible, his words had an edge that tightened Scarlet's chest. Watching you with him, Scarlet, makes me sick. Her pulse accelerated as a flash of insight passed over her. Tucker grew envious. Aberrally, relentlessly envious. Though she knew their relationship had been turbulent, this was fresh. This transcended business or Wyatt here. This dealt with something more profound. Between them something in between. "Tucker, you cannot control who I spend time with," she responded, her voice calm but quivering beneath. Bernard is supporting me. Supporting us. You have problems, not mine, if you find it unacceptable. Tucker moved forward, his presence shortening their distance. "Knowing how he operates, I find it objectionable. Men just like him have come across before. You, Scarlet will be used by them. Moreover, once they do, nothing will remain. Stung, more than she would have admitted. Unwanted to let him know how much it hurt, she turned aside. Her voice low, wary, she said, "I'm not some naive girl, Tucker." "I understand what is on line here. I am not going to allow Wyatt or anybody else separate me though.

Not right now. Tucker's gaze softened somewhat, and for a minute he appeared to lose the edge of wrath that had been sharpening his features. Then, though, the tenderness vanished fast, replaced by that old mask of frustration. With his words almost audible above a whisper, "You're playing a hazardous game, Scar," he murmured. And if you keep down this road, I fear I will not be able to shield you. Scarlet inhaled deeply and tried to slow her pounding heart. "Tucker, I have no need of you shielding me. I need you to believe me. He stared at her for a protracted period, as though he were attempting to interpret the truth in her gaze. Then he turned away, a long shake of his head, leaving her standing there with the quiet between them more oppressive than ever. The evening began with great promise, a sophisticated gathering of Beaumont's most powerful and affluent people. But all was disintegrating before Scarlet's view. The stoic matriarch of the family, Magnolia Prescott, stood at the platform trying to talk while her papers trembled in her hands.

Once humming laughter and discussion, the space has become shockingly quiet. Scarlet sensed the tension in Magnolia's face, the panic under her cool front. Her address aimed to emphasise the achievements of the Beaumont legacy was not going as expected. Whispers criticising her every mistake began to sweep across the assembly. Scarlet stood unable to view it. She shoved her way through the throng, her eyes never straying from Magnolia's shaking form. Magnolia had been a pillar of strength, someone who had created her reputation on the force and grace of the Beaumont name. But now Scar realised she had to act as she stood before an audience starting to treat her disrespectfully. She moved forward automatically, picking the microphone from Magnolia's hand. "Ladies and gentlemen," Scarlet's voice sliced through the whispering, clear. "Tonight's events are more than just a speech." It is the legacy of a mother who has worked decades constructing something for this family. And tonight we stand by her.

The room stopped, and for the first time that evening the air changed. Once full of contempt, the audience was now moved by Scarlett's remarks. The lost esteem was gradually making comeback. Magnolia stared at her wide-eyed, as Scarlett ended her speech. Magnolia looked at her with thanks, a mute recognition of what Scar had done. Scarlet had won trust, not only saved her pride.