Chapter 4

The results of the investigation came back faster than I expected.

After Ms. Parker sent the letter to the company, Ms. Rivera cooperated and retrieved all the documents.

I sat in Ms. Parker’s office and watched her lay the materials out in front of me one by one.

“Let’s start with the equity. You originally held thirty-five percent of the company, corresponding to a registered capital contribution of $150,000. After last year’s Series B financing, those shares were valued at $28 million.”

“Last month, someone used a power of attorney to process an equity transfer.

Twenty-five percent of the shares under your name were transferred to Madison, and another ten percent were transferred to Ethan.”

“Your ownership went from thirty-five percent to zero.”

I stared at the documents, my hands trembling.

“Can you confirm that the signature on the power of attorney is forged?”

“The handwriting analysis is complete. It isn’t yours.”

“What about my identification documents? I’ve always had them with me.”

“Have you given your identification documents to Ethan recently?”

I thought about it.

Last month, our daughter needed a passport, so I gave Ethan my documents and asked him to make copies.

He returned them that same day.

“He took pictures of them,” I said. “He used that opportunity to photograph them and then forged the copies.”

Ms. Parker nodded. “That’s the most common method.”

“Now for the second matter.” She pulled out another stack of documents. “I checked all the assets under both your names.”

“You own two properties. One was purchased before the marriage for $480,000 in cash and is registered solely under your name. The other was purchased after the marriage. You paid $180,000 of the $225,000 down payment, while Ethan paid $45,000, and you’ve been making the mortgage payments. Both names are on the title.”

“Last month, a mortgage was registered against the marital property, with Madison listed as the secured lender. She loaned Ethan $400,000, and he used this property as collateral.”

I froze.

“He mortgaged our house to Madison to borrow money?”

“Yes. And this money—look at this.” Ms. Parker pulled out another bank statement. “Ethan’s account received $400,000 from Madison last month, and he transferred it out the next day to an account belonging to a company called Horizon Investments.”

“What kind of company is that?”

“I looked into it. It’s a shell company, and the registered owner is Ethan’s cousin.”

I took a deep breath.

“He laundered the $400,000?”

“Most likely. And it gets more complicated. He used your house as collateral, so if you want a divorce, your ability to dispose of the property is restricted. You’ll have to repay the $400,000 and release the mortgage first.”

I did the math.

With interest, I couldn’t come up with that much cash immediately.

“Now for the third matter,” Ms. Parker continued. “Have you checked the insurance policies, investments, and savings under your name?”

I nodded.

I had checked every account the previous night.

The insurance was untouched, and the investments were untouched, but the savings in our joint account were down by more than $80,000.

Ethan had transferred it out in six separate transactions.

The notes said “household expenses,” “renovations,” and “car purchase.”

I hadn’t bought a car, and we hadn’t renovated the house.

“Who were the recipients?”

“Six different personal accounts, but I checked the transaction histories of three of them. The money eventually ended up in one account—Madison’s.”

I closed my eyes.

The house, the shares, the savings.

He wanted to transfer all my assets to Madison and leave me with nothing but an empty shell and a mountain of debt.

“Ms. Parker, are all of these charges enough to send him to prison?”

“Forging your signature alone is enough. Fraud is enough, too. But once we file a criminal case, there’s no turning back.”

I took a deep breath, my gaze more determined than ever.

“I’m sure.”