Chapter 6
The signature looked almost perfect.
I stared at the authorization letter on Angela's screen.
My name appeared beneath a paragraph claiming that Harrington Systems permitted certain confidential materials to be shared with an outside investment partner.
It looked official.
Company logo.
Formal language.
A signature resembling mine.
But I had never signed it.
I felt anger rise.
"Where did he get that?"
Angela spoke carefully.
"We don't know yet."
Andre leaned over the table.
"That signature looks copied."
I nodded.
It did.
The final stroke was identical to one I'd used on a document months earlier.
Even the spacing looked wrong.
I stared at the date.
The letter had supposedly been signed while I was attending a technology conference in Denver.
I remembered that week clearly.
Long meetings.
Late dinners.
A presentation that ran two hours over schedule.
I hadn't approved any outside disclosure.
I hadn't even been in Georgia.
Angela took notes.
"We'll compare the documents and preserve the original file metadata."
I nodded.
Then she said something that made me pause.
"Malik, there's another issue."
I looked up.
"What?"
"The authorization letter references a board approval."
I frowned.
"No board approval occurred."
"Exactly."
She continued.
"That means the document contains more than a questionable signature."
I stared at the screen.
Devon had apparently tried to create an entire paper trail.
A false introduction.
A false authorization.
A false board decision.
All to make stolen information look legitimate.
I felt sick.
Then Andre asked the question I'd been avoiding.
"Did Nia know about the forged letter?"
Angela shook her head.
"We don't know."
I looked away.
Part of me desperately wanted her to be innocent of this piece.
Not because I hoped we'd reconcile.
Because I couldn't bear discovering she had knowingly forged my signature too.
I took a breath.
"Then let's find out."
The following week, the company filed appropriate legal claims to protect its confidential information.
The competitor agreed to suspend use of the disputed materials while the matter was reviewed.
An independent forensic examination began.
Devon denied wrongdoing.
His attorney claimed the documents had been provided through legitimate business channels.
But the evidence was moving in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Nia's attorney contacted Angela.
She wanted to provide additional information.
I agreed to let the lawyers handle it.
I did not attend the meeting.
That was important.
I needed distance.
Every conversation with Nia reopened wounds I was still trying to heal.
Instead, I spent the afternoon visiting my father.
He lived in a small house outside Macon.
His repair shop had closed years earlier.
Now he restored old motorcycles and helped neighbors fix their cars.
When I pulled into the driveway, he was sitting on the porch.
He smiled.
"Malik!"
I stepped out of my truck.
"Hey, Dad."
He hugged me tightly.
Then looked at my face.
"You're hurting."
I laughed sadly.
"That obvious?"
He nodded.
"Come sit."
We sat beneath the porch fan.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I told him everything.
The proposal.
The humiliation.
The tuition.
Devon.
The documents.
The investigation.
Dad listened quietly.
When I finished, he looked toward the yard.
"Son, I wish I could take that pain from you."
My eyes filled.
"I know."
He sighed.
"I've watched you work hard your whole life."
I nodded.
"You deserve someone who celebrates that, whether you're driving an old truck or a new car."
My throat tightened.
I looked down.
"I thought she loved me."
Dad placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Maybe she loved parts of the life you shared."
I swallowed.
"But not enough to protect it."
He nodded sadly.
I wiped my cheeks.
Then asked something I'd been thinking about.
"Dad, was I wrong to keep my finances private?"
He thought carefully.
"Privacy isn't wrong."
I nodded.
"But marriage needs openness."
I looked at him.
He continued.
"You shouldn't have to prove your worth with money. But a future spouse needs to know what life you're actually building together."
I swallowed.
"Andre said something similar."
Dad smiled.
"Smart man."
I laughed softly.
Then Dad's expression became serious.
"Don't make the opposite mistake now."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't assume everyone who shows interest in you wants your money."
I looked away.
He continued.
"Some people will. Others won't."
My eyes filled.
"How do I tell the difference?"
He smiled gently.
"Time."
I looked at him.
"Watch how people treat you when there's nothing to gain."
For a long moment, I sat quietly.
Then I nodded.
Dad squeezed my shoulder.
"You'll love again, son."
I laughed bitterly.
"I'm not sure."
He smiled.
"You don't have to be sure today."
That helped.
More than I expected.
That evening, I stayed for dinner.
Dad made fried chicken and cornbread.
We talked about old motorcycles.
College memories.
And the time I accidentally broke his favorite wrench.
For several hours, I felt like myself again.
Not a betrayed boyfriend.
Not a company executive fighting a legal dispute.
Just a son sitting with his father.
When I returned to Atlanta, Angela had sent an update.
Nia had provided records showing Devon asked her to obtain a copy of my signature.
My stomach tightened.
I opened the report.
According to her statement, Devon claimed he needed a signature sample to prepare a routine introduction letter.
She sent him an old lease document containing my signature.
I stared at the page.
That was where he'd gotten it.
Not from my company.
From a document I'd shared with Nia years earlier.
I felt sick.
Then I read the next paragraph.
Nia claimed she didn't know Devon intended to create a false authorization.
But she acknowledged she gave him the document without asking me.
I closed my eyes.
Another betrayal.
Another boundary crossed.
I sat at my desk for a long time.
Then I opened the drawer.
The diamond ring box was still there.
I took it out.
Opened it.
The diamond caught the light.
I remembered choosing it.
I remembered imagining Nia wearing it.
I remembered the florist telling me fifty roses were a lot of love.
Then I slowly closed the box.
I contacted the jeweler.
Asked about returning or selling the ring.
And made an appointment.
For the first time, I was ready to let go of the future I'd imagined.
But the next morning, Angela called with news that changed the investigation.
The forensic team had found messages showing Devon instructed an employee to alter the authorization letter after Nia supplied the signature sample.
There was no record of Nia approving that alteration.
I felt relief.
Not because she was innocent of everything.
Because the truth was finally becoming clearer.
Then Angela added something unexpected.
"Malik, there's evidence Devon planned to blame Nia if the documents were challenged."
I stared at the wall.
"What?"
She continued.
"He described her in internal messages as an expendable source."
My stomach turned.
The woman who'd humiliated me for not being wealthy enough had chosen a man who viewed her as disposable.
May you like
And for the first time, I felt something stronger than anger.
I felt pity.
