Chapter 4: The Money My Father Left Behind
I read Richard Cole's message three times.
Then I looked at my mother.
“Mom, how much did Dad leave you from his life insurance?””
She frowned.
“Why are you asking me that?””
“Because someone just sent me a message saying I should ask what happened to the money.””
Her face changed.
For a moment, she seemed unable to understand the question.
Then she looked toward Sofia.
“What money?””
Sofia stood up so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor.
“Mateo, don't listen to him. Richard has always been a troublemaker.””
I held up my phone.
“You know what he's talking about?””
“No.””
“Then why are you so nervous?””
“I'm not nervous. I'm angry that you're allowing strangers to interfere with our marriage.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Mrs. Reyes, if there are financial transactions involving an estate or insurance proceeds, we need to establish the facts.””
Sofia turned toward him.
“Are you an attorney or a detective?””
“Tonight, I'm an attorney trying to prevent further damage.””
My mother slowly lowered herself onto the sofa.
“Your father left me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” she said.
I felt my stomach tighten.
I knew my father had maintained a life insurance policy. But after his funeral, Mom had told me she wanted to keep the details private.
I had respected that.
“Did you ever give Sofia access to it?”” I asked.
My mother shook her head.
“Never. I told her the money was for my retirement and emergencies.””
Sofia laughed nervously.
“This is ridiculous. I never touched your mother's insurance money.””
I looked at her.
“Then you won't mind if we check.””
She didn't answer.
I opened Richard's message and typed a reply.
What happened to my father's insurance money?
His response came almost immediately.
Your wife transferred it into an investment account under a company name. I have the records.
I stared at the screen.
“Daniel, I need you to see this.””
He read the message.
“Ask him to preserve everything and communicate through me. Don't agree to meet him alone.””
I sent Richard Daniel's contact information.
Then I looked at Sofia.
“Did you take my mother's money?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Mateo, I was going to explain.””
That sentence was enough.
My mother covered her mouth.
“Oh, Sofia.””
“Please don't make this worse,” Sofia whispered.
I stood still.
“How much?””
She looked at the floor.
“I didn't take all of it.””
“How much?””
“About two hundred thousand.””
My mother made a sound I had never heard from her before.
It was somewhere between a gasp and a sob.
“Two hundred thousand dollars?””
Sofia began crying.
“I invested it! I didn't steal it!””
“You used money that wasn't yours,” I said.
“I was going to put it back.””
“With what?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“The business was supposed to make a profit.””
“What business?””
She looked at Daniel.
“I don't want to discuss that here.””
Daniel closed his briefcase.
“Then we'll discuss it formally.””
Sofia turned toward me.
“Mateo, please. We can solve this privately.””
“Privately? You tried to transfer my mother's house without her permission.””
“I made a mistake.””
“You made several decisions. One after another.””
She walked toward me and reached for my hand.
I stepped back.
That small movement seemed to hurt her more than anything I had said.
“Do you remember when your father died?”” she asked.
I said nothing.
“You were devastated. You couldn't sleep. You barely spoke to anyone. I handled everything.””
I stared at her.
“You helped organize the funeral.””
“I did more than that!””
Her voice rose.
“I was the one who made sure the bills were paid. I was the one who kept this family together.””
My mother looked at her.
“You were kind to us then.””
Sofia turned toward her.
“And I have been paying for it ever since.””
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
She took a breath.
“Your father left money. Your mother had the house. You had the business. And I had nothing of my own.””
I shook my head.
“You had a husband who trusted you.””
She looked away.
Daniel's phone vibrated.
He read something, then looked at me.
“Richard has replied.””
“What did he say?””
“He says he has evidence of transfers from Elena's insurance account into Westbridge Holdings.””
My mother began crying silently.
I sat beside her and took her hand.
“I'm sorry, Mom.””
She shook her head.
“I trusted her.””
Those four words hurt more than any accusation.
Sofia suddenly grabbed her handbag.
“I need to leave.””
Daniel stood between her and the hallway.
“You're free to leave, Mrs. Reyes. But please don't remove or destroy any documents relating to these transactions.””
She glared at him.
“You can't tell me what to do.””
“I can advise you that destroying evidence may create additional legal problems.””
Sofia looked at me one last time.
“You're going to regret treating me this way.””
I didn't answer.
She walked upstairs.
A few minutes later, we heard the bedroom door slam.
Daniel arranged for my mother to have a medical examination the following morning and advised us to secure the original property documents.
Isabel stayed with Mom.
I went into the kitchen to get some water.
My phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a photograph.
Richard had sent a screenshot of a bank transfer.
The amount was $200,000.
The sender was Elena Reyes.
The recipient was Westbridge Holdings LLC.
But what made my blood run cold was the date.
It was four months before my father died.
I stared at the screen.
That was impossible.
My father had been alive when the money was supposedly transferred.
I called Richard immediately.
He answered on the first ring.
“Mateo?””
“Explain this.””
There was a pause.
“Your wife didn't just take your mother's insurance money,” he said.
“What are you talking about?””
“That's not an insurance transfer.””
“Then what is it?””
Richard lowered his voice.
“It's money your father transferred into an investment account shortly before he died.””
I gripped the counter.
“My father never told me about any investment.””
“I know.””
“Why?””
“Because he discovered something about Sofia.””
My mouth went dry.
“What did he discover?””
Richard was silent for a moment.
May you like
Then he said something that made me forget how to breathe.
“Mateo, your father knew your wife was stealing from your family long before he died.””
