“Who’s that?”

Graham pointed.

“Arthur Bell.”

Derek looked again.

Something cold moved through his stomach.

“Santa?”

His father nodded.

Derek slowly sat down.

The photograph showed Arthur Bell receiving a national championship trophy.

Another page listed his competitive accomplishments.

Five national judo titles.

Numerous international appearances.

Years of coaching professional athletes.

Derek kept turning pages.

There were articles.

Photographs.

Interviews.

He stared at one headline.

THE ANCHOR: THE CHAMPION WHO NEVER NEEDED TO SHOW OFF.

Derek looked up.

“You knew?”

Graham said nothing.

“You knew that old man was a champion?”

“Former champion.”

Derek stood so quickly that his chair fell backward.

“YOU SENT ME TO ATTACK A FORMER NATIONAL CHAMPION?”

Graham’s expression hardened.

“Lower your voice.”

“WHY?”

“Because I expected him to react.”

Derek froze.

Graham continued.

“Arthur Bell has a documented fighting background. He knows how to handle himself. If he became involved in a public altercation while representing a children’s program, the mall could justify suspending that program.”

Derek stared at him.

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

Miles stood up.

“Graham, maybe we shouldn’t—”

“Sit down.”

Miles sat.

Derek looked between them.

“You wanted him to fight me?”

“We wanted a public incident.”

“You wanted me to get hurt?”

Graham’s silence lasted only a second.

But Derek heard the answer.

Something changed in his face.

He had spent his entire life trying to prove himself to his father.

Now he understood what he was worth to him.

A headline.

A business opportunity.

A temporary injury if necessary.

Derek took a step backward.

“You knew he could throw me.”

Graham said nothing.

“You knew exactly who he was.”

Finally, his father spoke.

“Arthur Bell was always going to defend himself. That was the point.”

Derek looked toward the championship photograph.

Then at his father.

“That old man could have broken my neck.”

“Don’t be dramatic.”

Derek’s voice became strangely quiet.

“You were willing to let him.”

Graham slammed the folder shut.

“I’ve built everything you enjoy. Your gym, your sponsorships, your career. You think those things happen without difficult decisions?”

Derek stood motionless.

For the first time, he saw his father without the protective illusion of admiration.