Chapter 2 - The Audit of Betrayal
By 8:00 AM on Christmas morning, while Lily was happily unwrapping her presents under our quiet living room tree, Sarah Mitchell and a certified forensic accountant named David Chen were sitting at my kitchen island.
Over two dozen folders, bank ledgers, and digital hard drives were spread across the quartz counter.
"Nathan was remarkably sloppy," David Chen said, tapping his tablet screen. "He thought because he changed the primary passwords on the executive portal three months ago, you wouldn't be able to track his transfers."
"He forgot I set up the original database architecture when we opened our first bistro seven years ago," I said, handing Sarah a fresh cup of coffee.
"He didn't just siphon company funds, Maya," David explained, turning his tablet toward me. "He created three shell companies—NLR Holdings, Apex Management, and Lawson Logistics."
My eyes narrowed. "Lawson Logistics?"
"Brooke Lawson’s brother is registered as the primary officer of that LLC," Sarah interjected. "Over the past eight months, Nathan transferred $480,000 under the guise of 'supply chain consulting fees' directly into that account. It’s a textbook embezzlement scheme."
My hands shook slightly as I looked at the numbers.
Seven years ago, Nathan and I started with a tiny twenty-table bistro. I cooked in the kitchen for sixteen hours a day while managing the books, while Nathan handled guest relations and marketing. As we expanded to four high-end locations across the city, I stepped back from the kitchen to raise Lily, but I never stopped managing our tax structures and payroll.
Nathan had convinced himself that because he wore the designer suits and gave the newspaper interviews, he was the sole reason for our success. He had begun treating our company bank account like his personal piggy bank to impress a twenty-five-year-old assistant and maintain his parents' fake high-society lifestyle.
"What about his parents?" I asked.
"Arthur and Eleanor haven't paid property taxes or maintenance on the mansion in three years," Sarah stated. "Reed Culinary Group has been paying thirty-two thousand dollars a year in property taxes directly out of our operating reserve. In the eyes of the law, the mansion is an asset of the business. The court injunction frozen their access to the main accounts, meaning Nathan can't use corporate money to pay his personal defense lawyers."
My phone rang on the counter.
It was Nathan. He had called forty-six times since midnight.
I tapped the speakerphone button. "Hello, Nathan."
"Maya!" His voice was raspy, frantic, and laced with screaming rage. "Have you lost your mind?! My parents spent Christmas Eve in a hotel room! Brooke is hysterical! The press is calling my office!"
"Merry Christmas to you too, Nathan," I said, my voice completely flat.
"Undo this injunction right now!" he roared over the speaker. "You are ruining our reputation! You are destroying the business we built!"
"Correction, Nathan," I said calmly. "I am saving the business I built from the man who stole nearly half a million dollars to give to his assistant's brother."
Silence fell over the line. Cold, suffocating silence.
"You... you checked the Lawson account," Nathan stammered, his confidence evaporating in real-time.
"David Chen is reviewing it right now," I replied. "Along with the forensic team from the District Attorney's financial crimes unit. I suggest you get a very good criminal attorney, Nathan. Because on Monday morning, the receivership hearing begins."
"Maya... please," Nathan whimpered, his tone instantly shifting from rage to pathetic begging. "Think about Lily! You're going to ruin her father!"
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"I thought about Lily last night at 6:30 PM," I said, my voice dropping into an unshakeable register. "When she stood in front of the mirror in her lavender dress and asked why her father didn't want her. You chose Brooke. Now you get to live with the consequences."
I hung up the phone and blocked his number.
