PART 3 — The Account Nobody Knew About
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything.
My mother stared at the screen.
Then she laughed.
A nervous, brittle laugh.
“That must be some kind of mistake.”
Claire shook her head.
“It isn't.”
My father turned toward her.
“Elaine?”
“I don't know what she's talking about.”
Claire opened another document.
“Vantage Meridian LLC was registered eleven months ago.”
My mother said nothing.
“Initial funding: $600,000.”
My father stared at her.
“Where did you get that money?”
“I don't know.”
Claire continued.
“Six months later, another $900,000 was deposited.”
My father stood.
“Elaine.”
She looked at him.
“I said I don't know.”
I watched her carefully.
Something was wrong.
My mother had always been terrible at lying.
She would look away.
Touch her necklace.
Blink too quickly.
She was doing all three.
Claire continued.
“Last week, $2.4 million was transferred from Whitmore Apparel into Vantage Meridian.”
My father's voice became quiet.
“Why?”
No answer.
Vanessa suddenly stood.
“Mom, tell them.”
My mother looked at her.
“I didn't do anything.”
“Then explain it.”
“I can't.”
That sentence changed the room.
My father stepped backward.
“You can't?”
My mother began crying.
“I was trying to protect this family.”
“From what?”
She looked at me.
“From you.”
I frowned.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
She wiped her eyes.
“Your father and Vanessa believed you were trying to take everything.”
I stared at them.
“I didn't even know this company existed until today.”
“That isn't true.”
My father looked at me.
“You knew about the acquisition.”
“Yes.”
“But you never told us.”
“You never asked.”
He looked away.
That answer hurt him.
Good.
Because I was tired of pretending it didn't hurt me.
Claire quietly closed the laptop.
“We should discuss the transfer privately.”
“No,” I said.
Everyone looked at me.
“I've spent my entire life being told I don't understand business.”
I looked around the table.
“So let's talk about business.”
Vanessa sat down slowly.
I continued.
“Three months ago, someone inside Whitmore Apparel leaked confidential documents.”
Daniel looked away.
“Those documents were sent to a competitor.”
Claire nodded.
“And that competitor was Vantage Meridian.”
My mother closed her eyes.
My father whispered:
“Why?”
I looked at her.
“Who controls it?”
She didn't answer.
Then Vanessa spoke.
“Mom.”
My mother finally looked at me.
“Your uncle.”
I frowned.
“Uncle Charles?”
She nodded.
My uncle sat at the opposite end of the table.
The same man who had laughed when Vanessa called me stupid.
He slowly lowered his champagne glass.
Everyone turned toward him.
“Charles?”
He smiled.
A calm, almost amused smile.
“Well.”
He leaned back.
“I suppose the secret is out.”
My father looked furious.
“You've been stealing from us?”
“Borrowing.”
“Two point four million dollars isn't borrowing.”
“It was an investment.”
I stared at him.
“In what?”
He looked directly at me.
“Your failure.”
Silence.
Then he laughed.
“You think you're some brilliant businesswoman because you bought a dying clothing company?”
I said nothing.
He continued.
“You don't understand what you're dealing with.”
I leaned back.
“Then explain it.”
Charles smiled.
“Whitmore Apparel is worth more than the books show.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He looked surprised.
“The land.”
I said it quietly.
“The real estate.”
His smile disappeared.
“You've got twelve profitable properties buried under the company balance sheet.”
I continued.
“Eight are in California. Three in Oregon. One in Nevada.”
My father stared at me.
“How do you know?”
“Because I bought the company.”
Charles's expression hardened.
“You bought the company?”
“Sixty-two percent.”
He laughed.
“You're lying.”
Claire placed the acquisition documents in front of him.
He read them.
His face changed.
Then I said:
“And I know why you wanted it.”
Charles didn't speak.
“You weren't trying to save Whitmore Apparel.”
I pointed toward the financial statements.
“You wanted to force bankruptcy.”
My father stared at me.
“Why?”
“Because once the company collapsed, the properties could be purchased separately.”
Charles smiled.
“Exactly.”
I looked at him.
“And you planned to buy them for pennies.”
He said nothing.
Vanessa suddenly started crying.
“I didn't know.”
I turned toward her.
“You knew enough.”
“No.”
“You accepted confidential reports.”
“I didn't understand what they were.”
“You sent them to Daniel.”
She froze.
“I…”
Claire spoke.
“The emails show otherwise.”
Vanessa covered her face.
My mother whispered:
“Please.”
I looked at her.
“Please what?”
“Don't destroy the family.”
I almost laughed.
“You destroyed it yourselves.”
Nobody responded.
Then Claire's phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed.
“What happened?”
She listened.
Then looked at me.
“There's a problem.”
“What?”
“The bank froze the transfer.”
I exhaled.
“Good.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“The $2.4 million wasn't the only transfer.”
My stomach tightened.
“How much?”
“Another $8.7 million.”
“To where?”
“Several offshore accounts.”
“Whose?”
Claire hesitated.
“Your father's.”
I turned toward him.
He looked stunned.
“That isn't possible.”
Claire showed him the records.
He stared.
“I never opened those.”
I looked at him.
“Then someone stole your identity.”
My father nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Then he looked at my mother.
She was crying.
“I didn't do it.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Daniel suddenly whispered:
“I know who did.”
Every head turned.
He looked terrified.
“It wasn't Charles.”
“Then who?”
Daniel stared at me.
“The person who knew all of our passwords.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
He swallowed.
“Your assistant.”
Claire froze.
Everyone looked at her.
Daniel pointed at her.
“She has access to everything.”
Claire's face became completely still.
Then she looked at me.
“Audrey…”
I stood.
“Claire?”
She slowly reached into her portfolio.
My father grabbed his chair.
Vanessa stepped backward.
And Claire pulled out a small black USB drive.
“I didn't steal anything.”
She looked directly at me.
“But I know who did.”
Then she whispered:
“Someone inside your company has been setting you up for months.”
:::
