Chapter 3: The Money Behind the Affair
Nobody moved.
Even the crackling fire seemed quieter.
Daniel stared at me.
“What do you mean, they weren't the only people involved?””
I looked toward the house.
Through the glass doors, I could see the dining room table still set for two.
Two candles.
Two wineglasses.
A small gift wrapped in silver paper.
I had planned to give Marcus a watch that afternoon.
A limited-edition piece he had admired for months.
Instead, I was standing outside discussing fraudulent financial transfers with his mistress's husband.
Life had a strange sense of humor.
“Can we go inside?”” I asked.
“I think everyone deserves to hear this properly.””
Marcus immediately shook his head.
“No.””
I turned.
“Excuse me?””
“You're not turning my personal business into a family meeting.””
I stared at him.
“Your personal business?””
He pointed at Daniel.
“This man has no right to be here.””
Daniel let out a short breath.
“Your girlfriend is my wife.””
Marcus ignored him.
I looked at Mr. Harris.
“Would you mind?””
My attorney nodded.
“Everyone can remain here if they wish. But I would recommend that we review the documents in a controlled setting.””
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Of course. You lawyers love making everything sound official.””
Mr. Harris didn't react.
“Mr. Reed, you should be careful about making statements concerning company funds before reviewing the records.””
That stopped him.
His eyes narrowed.
“What company funds?””
I turned toward him.
“The company you told me was struggling.””
Marcus's expression hardened.
“Lauren, don't.””
“You told me you were having trouble making payroll.””
“I was.””
“You asked me to transfer money into the business.””
“That was different.””
“You said the bank was threatening to freeze your accounts.””
His jaw tightened.
I continued.
“And you told me that if I didn't help, twenty-seven employees might lose their jobs.””
He looked away.
Daniel crossed his arms.
“Where is this going?””
I picked up the folder.
“Three months ago, I noticed unusual transfers between Marcus's business account and a consulting company called Bluewater Strategies.””
Michael, Daniel's brother, immediately looked up.
“Bluewater?””
I nodded.
“Does that name mean something to you?””
He exchanged a glance with Daniel.
Then he looked at me.
“It should.””
Marcus's face went pale.
I noticed.
So did everyone else.
Michael stepped closer.
“Bluewater Strategies is one of the companies that submitted invoices to a development project Daniel's firm was auditing.””
Daniel turned sharply.
“What?””
Michael nodded.
“We flagged several payments. The company had no clear operating history, no verifiable employees, and an address that led to a virtual office.””
Brianna wrapped the towel tighter around herself.
“Wait. What does this have to do with me?””
Nobody answered.
So I did.
“Your hotel expenses were paid through Marcus's company. But some of the transfers to Bluewater came from a different account.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Whose?””
I turned to Mr. Harris.
He opened the folder and removed a second set of statements.
“Lauren Reed's family investment account.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“That's not possible.””
I looked at him.
“That's what I said when I first saw it.””
His voice became louder.
“You're making accusations you can't prove.””
Mr. Harris placed the statements on the table.
“Every transaction is documented.””
Marcus scanned the pages.
Then he looked at me.
“You gave me access to that account.””
I shook my head.
“I gave you access to the business account for legitimate expenses. You were never authorized to transfer funds into a shell company.””
He laughed.
“It's not a shell company.””
“Then who owns it?””
He said nothing.
I leaned forward.
“Who owns Bluewater Strategies, Marcus?””
His face tightened.
Daniel looked between us.
“Do you know who owns it?””
Marcus shook his head.
“Daniel, this has nothing to do with you.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Stop saying that.””
He pointed at the papers.
“My company flagged those invoices because they were paid with money connected to a project I was responsible for reviewing.””
Marcus looked away.
Michael picked up one of the statements.
“There's another problem.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
He pointed at a transfer dated six weeks earlier.
“Look at the authorization signature.””
I leaned closer.
My name appeared at the bottom.
Lauren Reed.
But something was wrong.
The signature wasn't mine.
I knew immediately.
The letters were slightly too rounded. The final stroke was too short. Whoever had signed it had copied my name from an old document.
I looked at Marcus.
“Did you sign this?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
“Then who did?””
“I don't know.””
Mr. Harris quietly took the paper.
“We'll have the signature examined.””
Marcus rubbed his face.
“This is getting ridiculous.””
I looked at him.
“Someone forged my signature to move money out of my account.””
“You don't know that.””
I pointed at the document.
“Then explain it.””
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then looked toward Brianna.
She had been standing silently beside Daniel.
Now she was staring at Marcus with a completely different expression.
“You told me the money came from an investment,” she whispered.
Marcus looked at her.
“It did.””
“You said you had sold part of your company.””
“I did.””
She shook her head.
“Then why did you tell me not to use my own credit card?””
Marcus's eyes flashed.
“Brianna, stop talking.””
She stepped backward.
“No. You told me everything was fine. You told me Lauren knew about the money.””
I looked at her.
“She knew?””
Brianna's eyes filled with tears.
“Marcus said you had an arrangement.””
I stared at him.
“What arrangement?””
He snapped.
“She misunderstood.””
Brianna shook her head.
“No, I didn't.””
She turned toward Daniel.
“He said Lauren was aware of us. He said your marriage was practically over too.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Did you believe that?””
She swallowed.
“I wanted to.””
The answer hung in the air.
Daniel looked down at the wet stone tiles.
Then he removed his wedding ring.
He placed it on the table.
Brianna's face crumpled.
“Daniel…”
He shook his head.
“Not now.””
For the first time, I felt something other than anger.
I felt exhausted.
Because betrayal was one thing.
Being used as a financial instrument was something else entirely.
Marcus had not only lied about another woman.
He had used my trust, my company, and possibly my signature to move money.
And I was beginning to understand why he had been so desperate to keep his relationship with Brianna hidden.
It wasn't simply because he loved the excitement.
He needed the secrecy.
Mr. Harris looked at his watch.
“Lauren, there's one more thing we need to discuss.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“Before we do that, I need to confirm something with Michael.””
Michael nodded.
He took out his phone and made a call.
“It's me,” he said.
“I'm at Lauren's property. We found the Bluewater transfers.””
He listened.
Then his expression changed.
“Are you sure?””
A pause.
“Send it to me now.””
He ended the call.
Daniel looked at him.
“What happened?””
Michael stared at the screen.
“Someone has been using Bluewater to move money through three separate businesses.””
Marcus's face had gone almost gray.
Michael continued.
“And one of those businesses belongs to a member of the Reed family.””
I looked at Marcus.
“Which member?””
Michael lifted his eyes.
Then he gave me a name.
“His mother.””
The backyard went silent.
Marcus took one step backward.
“That has nothing to do with my mother.””
I looked at him.
“Then why is her name on the company registration?””
He didn't answer.
Mr. Harris closed the folder.
“Lauren, I think we need to postpone the rest of this conversation until we have the complete records.””
I nodded.
But before anyone could move, Daniel's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed immediately.
“It's the bank.””
He answered.
“Hello?””
Everyone watched him.
At first, he simply listened.
Then his eyes moved toward Marcus.
“What do you mean the account is frozen?””
A pause.
“Which account?””
He turned toward me.
Then toward Brianna.
And finally, he said something that made Marcus reach for the edge of the table.
“Are you telling me the money from the Carter family trust was transferred into Bluewater Strategies?””
Daniel ended the call.
His hand was shaking.
Brianna whispered, “Daniel?””
He looked at her.
Then at Marcus.
“The money you spent on hotels, jewelry, and vacations…”
His voice broke.
“Some of it came from my father's trust.””
Marcus tried to speak.
Daniel raised one hand.
“Don't.””
I watched Marcus's face.
The man who had spent the afternoon demanding that I calm down now looked like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.
But the worst part hadn't even arrived.
Michael's phone vibrated.
He checked the message.
Then he looked at me.
“Lauren, there's a video attached to the bank's report.””
“What video?””
Michael swallowed.
“Security footage from the office where the Bluewater account was opened.””
He turned the screen toward me.
The image was grainy.
A man sat at a desk, signing paperwork.
I recognized the suit.
I recognized the watch.
And I recognized the way he held his pen.
It was Marcus.
But the woman sitting beside him wasn't Brianna.
It wasn't his mother, either.
It was someone I had trusted with my entire life.
My older sister.
Victoria.
May you like
And beneath the video was a timestamp.
The account had been opened four days before my wedding.
