Chapter 8: The Mother Who Planned the Wedding
Patricia didn't deny it.
She simply adjusted the diamond necklace at her throat, as though the conversation had become an inconvenience rather than the exposure of a financial scheme.
“That is a very serious accusation,” she said.
Simone laughed bitterly.
“Now it's serious? You were the one who said we couldn't afford another delay.””
“Be quiet.””
“You told me Andre would never check the documents!””
“Simone!””
Patricia's shout echoed through the ballroom.
The guests fell silent again.
I looked at the two women standing before me. One wore a white wedding gown. The other wore champagne-colored silk and diamonds. Both had spent the morning pretending they were the victims.
Now they were arguing about which one deserved the blame.
I turned toward Patricia.
“Explain what you did.””
She lifted her chin.
“I didn't forge your signature.””
“Then why did Simone say you told her how to do it?””
“Because my daughter is panicking and looking for someone else to blame.””
Simone stepped forward.
“You told me to use the old business authorization as a reference!””
Patricia's expression tightened.
“I told you to prepare the paperwork properly.””
“You told me to copy his signature!””
A gasp swept through the guests.
Patricia looked around, realizing too late how loudly Simone had spoken.
She lowered her voice.
“You need to stop talking.””
“No!”” Simone cried.
“You said if the transfer went through, we'd have enough time to save the company. You said Andre would never notice because he trusted me.””
I watched Patricia carefully.
She wasn't surprised by the accusation.
She was calculating how to escape it.
Finally, she sighed.
“Fine. You want the truth? Here it is.””
She walked toward the nearest table and placed both hands on the linen.
“Our company is in serious financial trouble. We lost a major contract six months ago. We took out loans to cover payroll, expecting another deal to close. It didn't.””
She glanced at Simone.
“My husband doesn't know how bad things have become.””
Simone stared at her.
“Dad doesn't know?””
Patricia looked away.
“Your father believes we have enough money to cover the debts.””
“You told me he knew!””
“He couldn't handle the truth.””
Simone took a step back.
For the first time, I saw something like genuine shock on her face.
Patricia continued.
“We needed temporary funding. Your mother-in-law has substantial savings. You were about to marry a man who could afford to help us. It seemed reasonable to ask.””
“Ask?”” I interrupted.
“You never asked me.””
“You would have said no.””
“That's not your decision to make.””
Patricia's eyes narrowed.
“You have no idea how difficult it is to watch your family lose everything.””
I thought of my mother working double shifts, counting every dollar, and saving for decades.
“I know exactly what it means to work for something,” I said.
“That's why I understand what you were trying to take.””
Patricia ignored me.
“Simone believed she could arrange the transfer, repay the account, and prevent a disaster. She made an error in judgment.””
“A forged signature isn't an error in judgment,” Daniel said.
“It's deliberate.””
Patricia turned toward him.
“And what would you know about financial pressure? You haven't had to support a family.””
Daniel's face reddened.
“I helped you because Simone said the arrangement was legitimate. I never agreed to forge anything.””
“But you carried the documents.””
His expression changed.
“Yes,” he said.
“And I'll answer for that. But I'm not going to help you hide what happened.””
Patricia looked disgusted.
“Then you're as useless as the rest of them.””
My mother slowly stood.
The movement was small, but every eye turned toward her.
“Patricia,” Loretta said, “I trusted your daughter because my son loved her. I gave her access to my paperwork because she told me she wanted to help.””
Patricia said nothing.
Loretta held up the gold ring.
“This ring belonged to my mother. My husband gave it back to me when she died. I have worn it for forty years.””
Her voice trembled, but she continued.
“You didn't just try to take my savings. You tried to make me look foolish for protecting what was mine.””
Patricia looked away.
“You're making this unnecessarily emotional.””
My mother stared at her.
“No. You're trying to make it sound like money is the only thing that matters.””
For a moment, Patricia had no response.
Then she reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded envelope.
“I have a proposal.””
I laughed once, without humor.
“Of course you do.””
She placed the envelope on the table.
“There's a promissory note. If Loretta agrees to sign it, our company will repay the amount in installments. We can settle this without police, lawyers, or public embarrassment.””
I didn't touch it.
“You want my mother to sign another document?””
“This one is straightforward.””
“From the woman whose daughter used a forged signature to try to transfer her account?””
Patricia's expression hardened.
“You're making a mistake by turning this into a public spectacle.””
I looked around the ballroom.
The guests were still there. Some looked horrified. Others were watching with their phones held low at their sides.
“You made it public when you tried to use my wedding as cover.””
Patricia pushed the envelope toward Loretta.
“Think carefully. If this becomes a criminal investigation, the company may collapse. My husband could lose his home.
Employees could lose their jobs. Families who had nothing to do with this will suffer.””
My mother stared at the envelope.
I could see the old instinct rising in her: the desire to fix things, to sacrifice something of her own so someone else wouldn't suffer.
“Mom,” I said gently, “you don't have to answer her.””
Patricia seized on the hesitation.
“Your son is angry. He isn't thinking about the consequences. You understand what it means to protect a family.””
Loretta looked up.
“Yes,” she said.
“I do.””
Patricia nodded, encouraged.
“Then sign the note.””
My mother slowly pushed the envelope away.
“But protecting a family doesn't mean letting someone steal from another one.””
Patricia's face went rigid.
Loretta continued.
“If your company is in trouble, you should have asked for help. If we had said no, that would have been our right. Instead, you decided my savings were yours to take.””
She touched the ring on her finger.
“And you let your daughter humiliate me in front of strangers because you thought I would be too ashamed to defend myself.””
Patricia's lips pressed into a thin line.
Loretta shook her head.
“I spent most of my life being quiet so other people wouldn't be uncomfortable. I'm not doing that anymore.””
Danielle squeezed my mother's shoulder.
I felt pride rise through the anger in my chest.
My mother had never been a loud woman. She didn't need to be.
She had just refused to be bullied.
I took the envelope and handed it back to Patricia without opening it.
“Any repayment arrangement can be discussed through independent attorneys. Until then, nobody is signing anything.””
Patricia snatched the envelope from my hand.
“You'll regret this.””
“Maybe. But I won't regret protecting my mother.””
She turned toward Simone.
“Get your things. We're leaving.””
Simone didn't move.
“Mom, you said everything would be fine.””
Patricia grabbed her wrist.
“I said we're leaving.””
Simone pulled away.
“You promised me Andre would never find out.””
Patricia's face twisted.
“And you promised you could handle the paperwork without making a scene.””
The two women stared at each other.
In that instant, I understood the real foundation of their relationship. They had trusted each other only as long as each believed the other could deliver what she wanted.
Now the arrangement had collapsed, and each was trying to escape by sacrificing the other.
Patricia headed toward the ballroom entrance.
Simone remained beside the table, staring at the wedding band I'd removed.
“Andre,” she whispered.
I didn't answer.
She stepped closer.
“I know I've done terrible things. But I need you to understand something.””
“What?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't start this because I wanted your mother's money.””
I looked at her.
“Then why did you start it?””
She took a shaky breath.
“Because your mother knew something about my father.””
The words stopped me.
“My father?”” I repeated.
Simone nodded.
“Last month, Loretta found an old letter among your father's belongings. She called me because she thought I should see it.””
I turned toward my mother.
She looked stunned.
“What letter?””
Simone's voice dropped to a whisper.
“The letter your father wrote before he died. The one that explains why my family has been in debt for years.””
My mother gripped the back of the chair.
“I never showed you a letter,” she said.
Simone's expression changed.
“Then how did you know?””
Loretta shook her head.
“I didn't.””
Simone looked between us, suddenly uncertain.
Then Marcus approached with his phone.
“Mr. Brooks,” he said quietly, “we recovered a deleted message from the security system's backup log. It was sent to Simone yesterday afternoon.””
He turned the screen toward me.
The message contained a photograph of a handwritten letter.
At the bottom was my father's signature.
May you like
And the first visible sentence read:
*If anything happens to me, make sure Loretta knows who really owns the Brooks family business.*
