Chapter 5 - The Emergency Meeting
By evening, Ronald had summoned Gabriela to what he called an emergency family meeting.
Gabriela did not attend.
Instead, she met Maya at Northstar’s downtown office. Her accountant, Daniel Ross, joined them with three years of financial records.
The truth was worse than Gabriela expected.
Ronald had used a family expense card for gambling trips disguised as business travel. Vanessa had charged designer clothing, jewelry, spa treatments, and a private birthday event for Piper to Gabriela’s company.
Peter had submitted fake consulting invoices.
Janice had known about several of them.
The total exceeded nine hundred thousand dollars.
Gabriela stared at the documents.
“I gave them more than enough. Why steal?”
Daniel answered gently. “Because people who feel entitled do not recognize the difference between a gift and access.”
Maya placed a second folder on the table.
“There is more.”
Ronald had tried to use Gabriela’s signature to guarantee a loan for a failing real estate project. The bank had flagged the document before approving it.
Had the loan gone through, Gabriela could have been responsible for millions.
Maya expected anger. Instead, Gabriela felt clarity.
Every insult, every demand, every guilt-filled phone call suddenly fit together. Her family had never believed her money belonged to her. They believed Gabriela belonged to them.
“What do we do?” she asked.
“We separate every financial connection,” Maya said. “Then we decide whether to pursue fraud charges.”
May you like
Gabriela looked at a photograph of Willow on her desk.
“Do all of it.”
