Chapter 4 - The Paperwork of Ruin
The office was filled with the rhythmic, steady sound of the Colonel’s fountain pen. My father didn’t just work; he campaigned. He had hired a forensic accountant—a former military contractor who specialized in tracking the flow of illicit funds through shell corporations.
"They were sloppy, Claire," Dad said, sliding a thick binder across the mahogany table. "Grant didn't just borrow money against your trust; he was laundering funds for Evelyn’s friends. They were convinced that because you were 'unstable,' you would never be able to produce an audit. They underestimated you, and they certainly underestimated the paper trail."
I flipped through the pages. Each one was a nail in their coffin. There were forged signatures on promissory notes, unauthorized transfers from my mother’s estate to a high-risk crypto-exchange, and even insurance claims filed in my name for medical procedures I had never undergone. They had been trying to build a fortune on the back of my alleged incompetence.
"How long until this reaches the District Attorney?" I asked, my voice finally sounding like my own again.
May you like
"The D.A. has already been briefed," Dad replied, his gaze steely. "But before we hand this to the police, we need to ensure their social world is sufficiently hollowed out. I want them to have nowhere to hide when the indictments drop."
He picked up the phone, and I watched him speak with the same calm, lethal precision he used when navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of the Department of Defense. He wasn't just bringing a divorce suit; he was bringing an investigation that would ensure Grant and Evelyn would never hold a position of trust again.
