Chapter 4: The Account They Found
“They found the other account.””
Reggie said it so quietly that, for a moment, I wondered whether I had heard him correctly.
Then his phone rang again.
He stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the green button. The restaurant's warm lights reflected in his gold watch, and the untouched plates between us suddenly seemed absurdly ordinary. A few minutes earlier, our biggest problem had been a cruel remark about my career. Now my brother looked like a man watching his entire life collapse in real time.
Mother stood beside her chair.
“Reggie, what account?””
He shook his head.
“Not here.””
“Then where?”” I asked.
“Can you please stop asking questions?””
“You just told me I'd destroy everything you've built if I spoke about tonight. Then you received a message saying someone found another account. What am I supposed to think?””
He snatched his jacket off the chair.
“I said I can't explain it.””
“Is somebody in danger?””
“No.””
“Is somebody's money missing?””
His eyes snapped toward mine.
That was all the answer I needed.
Mother sank back into her chair.
“Oh, Lord.””
Reggie pointed at me.
“Don't do that.””
“Do what?””
“Look at me like I'm some criminal.””
“Then stop acting like a man who has something to hide.””
He opened his mouth, but his phone began ringing again.
This time, he answered.
“What?”” he demanded.
I couldn't hear the voice on the other end, only a muffled rush of words.
Reggie turned toward the restaurant window.
“I told you I'd handle it.””
Another burst of speech.
“No, Marcus. Listen to me. Nobody was supposed to touch that account.””
He stopped speaking.
His shoulders stiffened.
“What do you mean, you already called them?””
Mother covered her mouth.
Reggie lowered his voice.
“Who else knows?””
He listened for several seconds, then closed his eyes.
“Don't send anything else. Don't email anybody. Just wait until I get there.””
He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket.
I stepped toward him.
“Reggie, tell us what's happening.””
“I'm going to the office.””
“It's Sunday evening.””
“I know what day it is, Simone.””
“Then you know your mother is sitting here terrified.””
He looked at Mother.
For a fleeting moment, I saw the little boy he had once been, the child who used to run to her whenever he scraped his knee. Then his expression hardened again.
“I'll call you tomorrow, Mama.””
She reached for his hand.
“Please don't leave like this.””
He gently pulled away.
“I have to fix something.””
He walked toward the entrance without looking back.
Mother remained motionless until the door closed behind him.
Then she began to cry.
Not loudly. That would have been easier to bear.
She simply pressed her napkin against her mouth and stared at the empty chair.
I sat beside her.
“I'm sorry, Mama.””
She shook her head.
“You didn't do anything.””
“I know.””
“Then why does it feel like everything is falling apart?””
I didn't have an answer.
The server approached cautiously and asked whether we wanted our plates packed. Mother nodded without looking up. I thanked the server, paid our bill, and helped Mother into her coat.
Outside, the Atlanta evening was humid, and the pavement shone beneath the parking-lot lights. Cars moved along the road beyond the restaurant, their headlights sliding across the storefronts.
Mother stopped beside my car.
“Simone, do you think your brother has done something terrible?””
I thought about his face when Mr. Brooks mentioned the business proposal. I remembered the payment notice, the mysterious account, and the fear that had replaced his usual arrogance.
“I don't know.””
She gripped her handbag.
“He's always wanted to be somebody.””
“He is somebody, Mama.””
“You know what I mean.””
I did.
Reggie had grown up watching our father work two jobs to keep our family afloat. After Dad died, Reggie became obsessed with the idea that he would never be powerless. He wanted money, influence, and a business with his name on the door.
At first, I admired his determination.
Then I began noticing the things he sacrificed to maintain the appearance of success.
He borrowed money and called it an investment. He missed family obligations and called them networking. When a deal failed, he blamed the economy, a dishonest partner, or someone who hadn't understood his vision.
I had always believed he would eventually grow out of it.
Standing beside my mother that evening, I wondered whether I had mistaken his excuses for temporary setbacks.
“Come stay with me tonight,” I told her.
She hesitated.
“I should call him.””
“Give him some time.””
“What if he needs me?””
“What if he needs to tell the truth?””
She looked at me for a long moment, then nodded.
On the drive to my apartment, Mother sat quietly in the passenger seat. The city passed outside in streaks of headlights and storefront signs. Every few minutes, her phone lit up with a notification.
She ignored it.
When we arrived, I made her tea and found a blanket for the couch. She insisted she wasn't tired, but ten minutes later, she was sitting with both hands around the mug, staring at the dark television screen.
“I never meant to make things harder for either of you,” she said.
I sat across from her.
“You didn't.””
“After your father died, Reggie told me he would take care of everything. He was so confident. I wanted to believe him.””
“You were grieving.””
“So were you.””
“Yes.””
“But you didn't make promises you couldn't keep.””
I looked down at my hands.
I had never thought of it that way.
Reggie had been the loud one, the dreamer, the son who assured our mother that everything would be fine. I had become the dependable one because somebody had to be.
Perhaps our family had praised the wrong things.
My phone vibrated.
An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
I answered cautiously.
“Hello?””
“Simone Carter?””
“Yes.””
“This is Daniel Brooks.””
I sat straighter.
“Mr. Brooks. Is everything all right?””
“Yes, I'm fine. I apologize for calling so late. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.””
“That's kind of you.””
There was a pause.
Then he said, “I also need to tell you something about your brother.””
Mother looked up immediately.
I moved toward the kitchen, lowering my voice.
“What about him?””
“After I left the restaurant, I remembered a detail from the night I was admitted to the hospital. At the time, I didn't understand its significance.””
“What detail?””
“Your brother wasn't merely listed as my emergency contact. He was listed as someone authorized to receive certain business notifications during an emergency.””
I leaned against the counter.
“Why would he be listed for that?””
“Because I had been considering a business arrangement with his company. We'd exchanged preliminary information. Nothing had been finalized.””
My stomach tightened.
“So when the hospital called him—”
“They were contacting the person named in my records. I don't know what was said beyond what I later learned, but I know he declined to come.””
I stared through the kitchen doorway at Mother.
“Did you know about the account he mentioned?””
“No,” Mr. Brooks replied.
“But I think you should understand something. My company maintains strict financial controls. If someone has discovered an account connected to a proposed business arrangement, that needs to be investigated properly.””
“Are you saying Reggie stole something?””
“No. I'm saying I don't know what happened, and neither should you assume you do.””
I appreciated his answer.
For all his wealth and influence, Mr. Brooks wasn't interested in turning suspicion into a verdict.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said.
“One more thing, Simone. I asked my office to preserve the correspondence connected to the proposal. There was a document attached to one of the earlier emails that caught my attention.””
“What kind of document?””
“A financial authorization form.””
I gripped the edge of the counter.
“Whose name was on it?””
Mr. Brooks paused.
“Yours.””
The kitchen seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
“My name?””
“Yes. Simone Carter.””
“I never signed anything for Reggie's company.””
“I believe you. That's why I'm calling.””
I could hear the quiet ticking of the clock above my stove.
“Can you send me a copy?””
“I've asked my attorney to determine what can properly be shared. If your signature appears on a document you didn't authorize, you may need independent legal advice.””
I swallowed.
“Does the document have anything to do with the hospital?””
“I can't confirm that yet.””
We spoke for another minute before ending the call.
When I returned to the living room, Mother was standing.
“What did he say?””
I looked at her.
“Apparently, my name is on a financial authorization form connected to Reggie's business.””
She gripped the back of the couch.
“No. That can't be right.””
“I never signed anything.””
“Your brother wouldn't do that to you.””
I wanted to reassure her.
I wanted to say that she was right, that this was a misunderstanding, that Reggie had made a mistake but would explain everything in the morning.
Instead, I remembered his face when I asked whether somebody's money was missing.
And the way he had begged me not to tell anyone what happened.
My phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a text from Reggie.
*Don't speak to Mr. Brooks again until I explain everything.*
A second message arrived before I could respond.
*You don't understand what's at stake.*
I stared at the screen.
Then a third message appeared.
*If you care about this family, you'll stay out of it.*
Mother read the words over my shoulder.
Her face crumpled.
I put the phone down.
For the first time in my life, I understood that keeping the family together might require me to stop protecting the person who was tearing it apart.
But before I could say anything, my phone rang again.
It was Marcus, the business partner whose name had appeared on Reggie's screen at the restaurant.
May you like
And when I answered, he said the one thing I had never expected to hear.
“Simone, I need to ask you something. Did you give Reggie permission to use your identity to open a second company account?””
