Chapter 3 - Six Months of Silence
Victor grew careless.
He held whispered phone calls in the garden, deleted messages without clearing the cloud backups and left financial papers in unlocked drawers.
He assumed Claire understood nothing.
When she asked innocent questions, he laughed.
“Don’t worry about business matters.”
When she mentioned unusual bank charges, he patted her shoulder.
“You’ve always been terrible with numbers.”
Claire lowered her eyes so he would not see the anger in them.
With Naomi’s help, she hired Ethan Cole, a forensic accountant. Ethan examined the records Claire could legally obtain and quickly identified a pattern.
Victor had created three shell companies.
Money from Hale Development was being transferred through false consulting invoices, then deposited into accounts connected to Victor and Olivia.
Several signatures authorizing the transfers belonged to Claire.
None were genuine.
“He’s preparing to leave,” Ethan said during a private meeting.
Claire looked at the spreadsheet on his laptop.
“How can you tell?”
“He’s moving liquid assets overseas. The hidden loans cover the money he’s removing from the company. When the debts are discovered, the properties attached to your name will absorb the damage.”
“So I’ll be blamed.”
“That appears to be the plan.”
Claire stared through the window at people crossing the street below.
“How long until the company collapses?”
“Three months. Perhaps less.”
Hale Development employed more than two hundred people. Some had worked there since the company operated from her father’s garage.
Victor was not only betraying Claire.
He was preparing to destroy families, retirement funds and livelihoods to finance a new life with Olivia.
“Can the authorities stop him?”
“Not without a complete chain of evidence,” Naomi said. “We must prove intent, forgery and movement of funds.”
Claire nodded.
“Then we’ll give them everything.”
From that day forward, she became the quiet woman Victor wanted her to be.
She served dinner.
She smiled at guests.
May you like
She pretended not to notice Olivia’s name appearing on his phone.
And every night, after Victor fell asleep, Claire added another piece to DAWN.
