The change in Reed's demeanor was immediate and chilling. The polished corporate facade fell away, revealing something harder and more desperate beneath. "You've been talking to the locals," he said, his voice tight. "Let me guess, Martha Green, Sheriff Davis. They've filled your head with their version of history.
I've been doing my own research, Ethan encountered. County records, newspaper archives. Interesting reading. Reed moved to the library doorway, his gaze falling on Thomas's journal, still open on the desk. I see you found some of Thomas Blackwell's personal effects.
Family histories can be fascinating, can't they? So many perspectives on the same events. Is that why you want this house so badly? Ethan pressed to control the narrative about what happened between Thomas Blackwell and your father. You think this is about a story?
Reed's laugh was bitter. This isn't about narratives, Mr. Brooks. It's about justice. Thomas Blackwell destroyed my father with false accusations and manipulated evidence.
Then he disappeared with millions that rightfully belong to the Grant family and Blackwell steel shareholders. That's not how Thomas tells it in his journal. Of course it isn't. Reed's composure cracked further. The guilty always justify themselves.
My father was a good man who built something valuable. Thomas Blackwell couldn't bear that William was the more successful partner, so he sabotaged everything, then vanished with the money. Ethan studied Reed's face, seeing not just anger, but genuine pain. Whatever version of history Alexander Reed believed, it had shaped his entire life. You think I'm the villain in this story, Reed said, his voice quieter now.
But you have no idea what it's like to grow up with the shadow of another man's betrayal hanging over your family. My mother killed herself when I was 12 because she couldn't bear the shame and financial ruin Thomas Blackwell brought down on us. My father died under mysterious circumstances 3 years later. The revelation landed with surprising impact. Ethan had read about William Grant's death in the yacht explosion, but hadn't considered how it would affect a teenage boy being already traumatized by his mother's suicide.
"I'm sorry about your mother," Ethan said sincerely. "No child should experience that kind of loss. " Reed's expression flickered with surprise at the genuine sympathy. "For a moment, the armor of hostility weakened. "Then perhaps you can understand why this matters to me," he said. I've spent my adult life trying to restore what was taken from my family.
This house is the final piece. Thomas hid something here. Evidence, money, something that will finally reveal the full truth. And if that truth isn't what you expect, Ethan asked. If Thomas wasn't the villain you believe him to be.