Chapter 5: The Signature That Changed Everything
I read the email again.
Then I looked at Thomas.
“Did he actually try to transfer my shares?””
Thomas nodded.
“Two years ago.””
My father immediately interrupted.
“It was a proposal.””
“A proposal?”” Thomas repeated.
“Yes. I was trying to simplify the ownership structure.””
I looked at him.
“By giving my shares to Blake?””
“He's my son.””
The words landed heavily.
I felt something inside me go strangely quiet.
Not because I was surprised.
Because I'd finally heard him say it without pretending there was another explanation.
Blake leaned forward.
“Dad, you told me the company was going to be mine.””
My father turned.
“Not now.””
“But you said Maya was only helping with the paperwork. You said she didn't actually own anything.””
Thomas gave a short, humorless laugh.
“That's interesting.””
Blake frowned.
“What?””
Thomas opened another document.
“Because your father also submitted a proposed transfer of membership interest using an authorization that appears to have been signed by Maya.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“An authorization?””
Martin took the document.
“May I see that?””
Thomas handed it to him.
The auditor examined the signature.
Then he looked at me.
“Miss Carter, did you sign this?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
My father exhaled sharply.
“It's an old document. The signature may have been copied from something else.””
“Then why was it submitted as authorization?”” Martin asked.
“I don't remember.””
I stared at him.
“You don't remember trying to take my company away?””
His expression hardened.
“Watch your mouth.””
Thomas leaned forward.
“Richard, this is no longer a family disagreement. If that document was knowingly submitted with a forged signature, the company has a serious governance problem.””
Blake began tapping his fingers against the table.
“Can we stop acting like Maya is some kind of victim? She got sixty-one percent of the business. She has a whole apartment.
She got an award yesterday. What else does she want?””
I looked at him.
“An honest answer would be a start.””
He rolled his eyes.
“Here we go.””
I pulled another sheet from my folder.
“This is the list of payments I made from my scholarship account.””
I placed it in front of him.
“Thirty-two workers. Three missed payroll cycles. Total personal contribution: $74,800.””
Blake barely glanced at it.
“So?””
“So, you received $186,400 from the Westbridge project.””
“That wasn't stolen.””
“Then show us the contracts you completed.””
He looked at my father.
“Dad?””
My father rubbed his face.
“Blake was providing consulting services.””
“What services?””
“Business development.””
I turned toward Martin.
“Could you request the deliverables?””
Martin made a note.
“Certainly.””
Blake pushed his chair back.
“This is insane.””
He grabbed his briefcase.
My father stood.
“Sit down.””
“I'm not staying here while she humiliates me!””
“You're staying.””
For the first time, I saw my father speak to Blake the way he'd always spoken to me.
Not gently.
Not protectively.
With anger.
Blake stared at him.
Then he sat.
Thomas opened his folder again.
“There's something else we need to address.””
He removed a photograph.
It showed the Riverside office four years earlier.
The walls were stained. The reception desk was broken. Boxes of unpaid invoices covered the floor.
I recognized the picture.
I'd taken it on my first day of trying to save the company.
Thomas placed it beside a bank statement.
“On April 8, the company received a $120,000 emergency capital contribution.””
My father nodded.
“I remember.””
“Do you remember where it came from?””
“Your investment.””
Thomas shook his head.
“No. It came from Maya.””
I looked up.
Thomas turned toward me.
“You sold your mother's old property investment, didn't you?””
I nodded slowly.
“It was a small apartment my grandmother left me. I sold it to cover the restructuring deposit.””
My mother looked at me.
“You never told us.””
I gave a small laugh.
“I tried. Dad said I was wasting money on a failing business.””
My mother turned toward Richard.
“Richard, you told me Thomas provided the money.””
My father didn't respond.
Thomas continued.
“The company records show the contribution as an unsecured loan from Maya Carter. It was never repaid.””
I opened my notebook.
There it was.
The original deposit.
The monthly contributions.
The interest I'd never charged.
I had forgotten how much I'd sacrificed because I'd been too busy trying to keep everyone else from losing everything.
Martin examined the bank statement.
“Mr. Carter, did you disclose this contribution in the company's financial statements?””
My father stared at the table.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because it was an internal arrangement.””
Thomas shook his head.
“That's not an answer.””
My father finally snapped.
“Because I didn't want people thinking my daughter was financing my business!””
I stared at him.
There it was.
The truth.
Not that he couldn't afford help.
Not that he didn't understand the accounts.
He didn't want anyone knowing that his nineteen-year-old daughter had saved him.
His pride had been more important than my sacrifices.
I slowly closed my notebook.
“Do you know what the worst part is, Dad?””
He looked at me.
“I never needed you to thank me.””
My voice trembled slightly.
“I just needed you to stop making me feel ashamed of helping you.””
Nobody spoke.
Even Blake looked uncomfortable.
My mother reached for a tissue.
“Maya, sweetheart—”
I raised a hand.
“Please don't.””
She stopped.
Thomas looked toward Martin.
“I recommend an immediate independent review of the Westbridge transactions, the attempted share transfer, and all executive payments over the past four years.””
Martin nodded.
“I agree.””
My father laughed bitterly.
“You're all making this sound like a criminal operation.””
Martin closed his laptop.
“I'm making no legal conclusion. I'm documenting financial irregularities that require investigation.””
Then he looked at Blake.
“Mr. Carter, I'll also need your company's bank statements, invoices, and proof of services rendered.””
Blake stood again.
“I'm not giving you anything.””
Thomas's expression remained calm.
“Then your refusal will be recorded.””
My father looked toward the door.
“Richard,” Thomas said, “sit down. We aren't finished.””
But my father was already walking away.
He stopped beside me.
His voice was low.
“You have no idea what you've started.””
I looked up.
“I think I do.””
He leaned closer.
“You think Thomas is protecting you? You think he came back because he suddenly cares about you?””
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
My father smiled faintly.
“Ask him why he disappeared four years ago.””
I turned toward Thomas.
For the first time, the older man's confidence seemed to falter.
My father walked out.
Blake followed.
My mother hesitated before leaving, but I didn't look at her.
When the door closed, I faced Thomas.
“Why did he say that?””
Thomas removed his glasses.
Then he sat down.
“Because there's something I should have told you when I first walked into this room.””
“What?””
He looked at the closed door.
“Four years ago, Richard didn't simply lose control of the company.””
He paused.
“He tried to sell it.””
I stared at him.
“To whom?””
Thomas opened his briefcase and removed a thick envelope.
“The company that was supposed to buy Riverside was owned by your uncle.””
My breath caught.
“My uncle? Mom's brother?””
Thomas nodded.
“Your father had arranged the deal behind everyone's back.””
He pushed the envelope toward me.
“And Maya, the sale was never about saving the company.””
May you like
He opened the first page.
“It was about transferring its assets before anyone discovered what had happened to the money.””
Related Stories
