Chapter 3 - The Money in My Name
The ballroom emptied slowly.
Nobody wanted to leave.
The investors clustered near the bar, executives whispered into their phones, and journalists who had arrived expecting a celebration suddenly found themselves standing inside a corporate scandal.
Daniel pulled me into a private conference room.
"What is that account?" he demanded.
I placed my handbag on the table.
"That's what I'd like to know."
Nathan entered behind us and closed the door.
Vanessa followed.
"Daniel, perhaps we should discuss this privately."
He rounded on her.
"Not now."
Her eyes widened.
It was the first time I had seen Daniel speak to her without affection.
Nathan opened his laptop.
"The account was established nine months ago through a Delaware holding company. Funds were transferred from Hawthorne's acquisition reserve into the account in twelve separate installments."
"Who owns it?" I asked.
Nathan hesitated.
"The registered beneficiary is Claire Hawthorne."
My stomach tightened.
"That's impossible."
Daniel leaned against the table.
"See? Someone has been impersonating her."
I studied his expression.
He was too calm.
Nathan continued.
"The account was created using a copy of Mrs. Hawthorne's identification, but the electronic authorization came from an executive device registered to Mr. Hawthorne."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"That doesn't prove Daniel did anything."
"No," Nathan replied. "It doesn't. That's why the forensic investigation is continuing."
Daniel pointed at me.
"You're going to stand here and let them accuse your husband?"
I stared at him.
"You struck me in front of two hundred people tonight and told me to leave so you could stand beside your mistress. I think we've moved beyond pretending this is a misunderstanding."
Vanessa flushed.
"That's an outrageous accusation."
"Then perhaps you should explain why your brother's company received $3.8 million from Hawthorne."
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
"Marcus provides legitimate consulting services."
"His company was incorporated four months before the first payment."
"He has business experience."
Nathan slid another document across the table.
"According to the state registration, the company had no employees, no office, and no documented operating expenses during the relevant period."
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
He didn't defend her.
Instead, he turned toward Nathan.
"I want my attorney."
"Of course," Nathan said. "You may contact independent counsel. The company will provide all relevant documentation."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"Independent counsel? I'm the CEO."
"For the moment," Nathan answered.
Daniel stepped toward me.
"You think you can take my company?"
I stood.
"No. I think you forgot it was never yours alone."
He stared at me for several seconds.
Then his voice softened.
"Claire, sweetheart. We need to talk."
I almost didn't recognize the word.
Sweetheart.
He hadn't called me that in months.
"Remember the first Christmas after we started Hawthorne?" he asked. "We couldn't afford a tree. You bought one from a gas station and decorated it with paper ornaments."
I remembered.
I remembered the cold apartment.
The broken heater.
The way he held my hands and promised that when we became successful, we'd never forget what mattered.
"I remember," I said.
"We built this together."
"Yes."
"So don't let one mistake destroy twelve years."
I looked at him.
"One mistake?"
His eyes flickered.
He knew what I meant.
The hotels.
The apartment.
The red dress.
The lies.
But there was something else.
Something I hadn't told him I knew.
A transaction from six months earlier had been authorized by a secondary account connected to Daniel's deceased father, Edward Hawthorne.
Edward had died seven years ago.
His estate had been settled.
His name should not have appeared anywhere near a current corporate account.
Nathan had found the connection.
And neither of us understood it.
"Daniel," I said quietly. "Who has access to your father's old financial records?"
His face changed.
"Why?"
"Because someone used his identity to authorize one of the transfers."
Daniel stared at me.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
For a moment, I thought he might finally tell the truth.
Instead, he said something I hadn't expected.
"You're asking the wrong person."
He walked out.
Vanessa followed.
Nathan remained beside me.
"Claire, I need you to be careful."
"Why?"
He turned his laptop toward me.
The last transaction contained an authorization note.
Three words.
PHASE TWO APPROVED.
Below it was a scheduled date.
Tomorrow.
The recipient wasn't Vanessa's brother.
It was another company entirely.
A company called Hawthorne Legacy Holdings.
May you like
And its registered director was my grandmother.
The grandmother who had died thirteen years ago.
