Chapter 12: Missing
894 Words
1:45 AM – Carter Heights | Max's Penthouse
Max sprawled across the couch, a hoodie pulled over his head.
His phone rested in one hand.
A controller hung loosely from the other.
Low music played through the speakers.
He had dropped Noah off at This house twenty minutes ago.
Now he was alone.
The television was the only light in the apartment.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three sharp knocks.
Max sat up.
"It's open."
The door swung open.
Richard Carter.
Tailored suit.
No tie.
A face that looked like it hadn't slept.
Behind him stood the family accountant, carrying a tablet and a stack of files.
Max immediately dropped the controller.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
Richard walked inside without answering.
He didn't sit.
His eyes swept across the penthouse.
"Where is she?"
No greeting.
No explanation.
Max frowned.
"Where is who?"
"Don't play games with me."
Richard held up his phone.
"My accountant called an hour ago."
He took another step forward.
"You moved twenty-eight thousand dollars out of your trust account."
Silence.
"I know exactly what you did with that money."
Max stood.
"It was a donation."
"A donation?" Richard repeated, letting out a cold laugh. "Maxwell, you transferred trust money without authorization and created a scholarship fund that doesn't legally exist."
The accountant stepped forward and opened the file.
"The Bennett Fund has no registered founder, no approved documentation, and no authorization from Carter Holdings or Crestwood University."
He glanced at Max.
"The university's finance office has already begun asking questions."
Max's jaw tightened.
"It went through the alumni office."
"It went through a shell company you created in January," Richard shot back. "You forged ahead without legal approval."
"It was for someone who needed it."
Richard's expression hardened.
"Who?"
Max stayed silent.
"Who was worth risking your future for?"
Still nothing.
Richard looked toward the hallway, checking the bedrooms.
"She's not here."
A quiet breath escaped him.
"Good."
He turned back to his son.
"You've created a legal mess, Max. The lawyers are trying to fix it before sunrise."
He walked toward the front door before stopping.
"Be in my office at seven o'clock."
His voice left no room for argument.
"Just you."
"The legal team is working through the night to make the Bennett Fund legitimate."
He looked Max straight in the eye.
"The university wants an explanation by nine o'clock."
"If we don't provide one, they'll suspend the scholarship until everything is investigated."
Richard reached for the doorknob.
"And Max..."
His voice dropped.
"If you bring Mira into this meeting..."
He held his son's gaze.
"...we're going to have a very different conversation."
The door closed behind him.
Silence filled the penthouse.
For the first time that night...
Max wondered if helping Mira had just put everything she cared about in danger.
6:15 AM – Noah's House | Backyard Pool
The water was freezing.
Noah had been swimming since five in the morning.
Lap after lap.
Trying to outrun memories that always seemed to catch him.
His father sat in a lounge chair near the pool.
No suit.
No coffee.
Just watching his son.
When Noah finally stopped, he rested his arms on the edge of the pool, breathing hard.
His father stood and walked over.
"Can we talk?"
Noah pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool, droplets running down his arms.
"About what?"
His father was quiet for a long moment.
Then he looked out across the still water.
"About us."
He swallowed.
"About twelve years ago."
Noah froze.
His father's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Lily was seven."
"You were ten."
"I told both of you it was safe to walk home."
His eyes filled with regret.
"I've replayed that day in my head every single day since."
Noah shook his head.
"Dad... don't."
"I have to."
His father's voice cracked for the first time.
"I've spent twelve years believing I failed both of my children."
He looked directly at Noah.
"But you didn't fail your sister."
"And neither did I."
"It was a tragedy."
"It wasn't your fault."
Noah stared at the water.
His throat tightened.
"I think about her every time I see someone who's scared," he whispered.
"Every time someone looks lost..."
"I remember Lily."
"I keep thinking that if I help enough people... maybe it'll make up for the one person I couldn't save."
His father knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to earn the right to keep living, Noah."
"You never did."
Tears filled Noah's eyes.
"I don't know how to let her go."
His father gently squeezed his shoulder.
"You don't have to let her go."
"You just have to let yourself live."
Before Noah could answer, the back door slid open.
His mother stepped outside.
She wore a robe and was barefoot against the cool morning stone.
She smiled through tears.
"I've been listening."
She walked over and sat beside Noah, taking his cold hand in hers.
"Seven o'clock."
She looked between the two of them.
"We're having breakfast together."
"No phones."
"No work."
"No distractions."
"Just us."
Noah nodded.
He couldn't trust himself to speak.
For the first time in twelve years...
The three of them simply sat together.
Not trying to fix the past.
Just choosing not to face the future alone.
- Writer
