Chapter 8
I wasn't going to wait any longer.
From this moment on, I was going to rip away more than his mask. I was ready to expose everything he tried to hide.
I helped Frank out of my arms and wiped his nose with a tissue.
"Sit up straight," I said.
He gave a meek nod, eyes still red, clutching the towel.
"Mom needs to make a call. Stay here and don't wander off. If it hurts, let me know," I said.
"Okay," Frank murmured.
He looked up at me, hesitated for a moment, and added in a soft voice, "Mom, please don't be mad at me."
Even now, he was still worried I'd get upset, scared he was causing trouble for me.
He was only five, but already so mature for his age.
Leonard could say something like, "So what if you take a hit?"
The more I thought about it, the more it made my skin crawl.
I gently patted Frank's head.
"I'm not mad," I said.
I paused for a moment.
"I need to take care of something," I added.
With that, I picked up my phone, found Freya Hood's number, and hit call.
Before the second ring finished, she picked up.
"Hey, Beatrice? What made you call..." Freya said.
"Freya, don't ask," I said, cutting her off.
I got straight to the point.
"I need you to put a hold on both of Full Health Pharmaceuticals' funding rounds this year. Do it now," I said.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Freya didn't ask what was going on, and she didn't tell me to calm down.
We'd known each other for over a decade, and from my tone, she could tell this wasn't a regular fight between husband and wife.
Someone had crossed the line, and they'd shattered it.
"Got it," Freya replied.
Her voice got a lot colder, all business now.
"I'll freeze the approvals right now. If anyone dares to release the funds, I'll go after them myself," she said.
"And another thing," I added, "I need you to look into something for me.
"Last year, in the fourth quarter, Full Health Pharmaceuticals had an internal transfer of seven million dollars, approved through the executive special channel. The recipient was a company called K&L Culture."
"K&L Culture?" Freya repeated.
She paused. "Wait, that name sounds familiar.
"'K' from Kelly, 'L' from Leonard," I replied, keeping my tone flat. "He used company money to set up a company for his mistress."
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
"Beatrice, how did you find out?" Freya asked.
"Shouldn't I know?" I replied.
I glanced down at Frank, curled up on the couch, eyes half-shut, worn out from crying.
"I've kept tabs on every big transaction at Full Health Pharmaceuticals for the past three years. I never felt the need to act on it before," I said.
"And now?" Freya asked.
"Now? He brought this on himself," I replied.
After I finished, I added, "Freya, there's one more thing. Can you get in touch with Lawrence for me?"
"Lawrence? The board member at Full Health Pharmaceuticals?" Freya asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"What do you need from him?" she asked.
I paused for a second.
"He's got something my dad left behind. I never planned to use it before, but now I need it," I said.
Freya didn't ask any more questions.
"I'll get on it right away," she said.
"Thanks," I said.
I hung up, and the phone screen went dark.
The harsh white light in the living room fell on Frank's face, highlighting the red, swollen spot.
The timer kept ticking down from 01:33 to 01:32.
I stared at the numbers, my mind crystal clear.
When those five minutes were up, Leonard had no idea what I was about to do.
He thought I was all talk, nothing else.
He thought I'd been quietly staying at home all these years, doing nothing, knowing nothing.
He thought Full Health Pharmaceuticals belonged to him, as if it were his family's legacy.
But he forgot one thing.
Full Health Pharmaceuticals never belonged to the Morton family.
The timer kept ticking down from 01:1 to 01:10. Another two seconds had passed.
My phone rang again.
I picked it up and checked the caller ID.
It wasn't Leonard.
It wasn't his mother, Ella.
The screen showed: Kelly Parker.
I stared at the name for a couple of seconds and let it ring.
I'd never saved her number.
She must've dug up my number herself and called.
The phone rang five or six times and then went dead.
Right after, a text popped up. [Mrs. Morton, it's Kelly. I know you're angry, but this is a misunderstanding.
[I'm willing to apologize to Frank face-to-face, but please, don't make things harder for Mr. Morton.
[He's having a rough day, and if you keep pressing him, it's only going to make things worse for everyone. I'm begging you here.]
I read the message and didn't bother to reply.
She said she was begging me.
Every word painted me as the aggressor and her as the poor, wronged one.
She hit my son, stole my husband, and was pretending it was all for the greater good.
What a performance.
Too bad her act didn't work on me.
I kept a screenshot for the record. It never hurt to have proof.
The timer ticked down to 00:42.
Then, another two seconds passed
There were only forty seconds left.
Frank rolled over on the couch, gave a soft groan, and pressed one side of his face into the towel.