Chapter 5
I called Tasha as soon as I ended the conversation with Jasmine.
She answered on the second ring.
"Mr. Bennett?"
Her voice sounded tired.
"Hey, Tasha."
"Everything okay?"
I closed my eyes.
"No."
She went quiet.
Then whispered,
"Is this about Damian?"
My stomach tightened.
"Yes."
She began crying.
I sat down.
"Tasha, tell me what happened."
She took a shaky breath.
"He said he had a guaranteed investment."
I nodded slowly.
"How much did you give him?"
"Thirty-five thousand."
My heart sank.
Then she whispered,
"That was my husband's settlement money."
I covered my face.
Her husband, Michael, had been injured in a warehouse accident.
They received a settlement after months of medical treatment.
The money was supposed to help with rehabilitation and household expenses.
And Damian had convinced her to invest it.
"Tasha, I'm so sorry."
She began crying harder.
"He said Nia recommended it."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"She told me Damian was trustworthy."
I closed my eyes.
My wife had introduced Damian to my employees.
She hadn't merely risked our money.
She had put other families in danger.
I took a breath.
"Tasha, don't send him anything else. Preserve all the messages and documents."
She nodded.
"Okay."
I continued.
"We're working with an attorney and reporting the suspected fraud. I'll make sure you have the contact information."
She began crying again.
"Mr. Bennett, are we going to lose everything?"
My chest tightened.
I wanted to promise we'd recover every dollar.
But I couldn't.
So I told her the truth.
"I don't know yet."
She went quiet.
I continued.
"But you're not going to face this alone."
She began sobbing.
"Thank you."
After the call, I sat at my kitchen table for a long time.
I thought about the families connected to my company.
The people who had trusted me.
I had allowed Damian into our business.
I had believed his charming smile.
And now people were hurting.
I felt ashamed.
Then Jasmine arrived.
She sat beside me.
"Marcus."
I looked up.
"I should've seen it."
She shook her head.
"Damian deceived people deliberately."
I sighed.
"I still brought him around."
She nodded.
"But the responsibility for the fraud belongs to the people who committed it."
I closed my eyes.
I wanted to believe her.
But guilt was heavy.
Jasmine opened her laptop.
"There's something we need to discuss."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"The lottery ticket."
I stared.
For a moment, I had almost forgotten about it.
The winning slip was secured in a bank safe-deposit box under documented access procedures.
Olivia had arranged for the claim process to be reviewed by a lottery attorney.
Nothing had been claimed yet.
I looked at Jasmine.
"What about it?"
She took a breath.
"The lottery commission has confirmed the ticket needs formal validation."
I nodded.
"And?"
"The advertised jackpot is twenty-four million, but the final proceeds depend on the payment option, taxes, and other factors."
I sighed.
"I know."
Jasmine studied me.
"Marcus, this money changes things."
I looked down.
It did.
But not in the way I had imagined.
When I first realized the ticket might be a winner, I pictured paying off the house.
Helping my employees.
Taking Nia on the vacation she'd always wanted.
Maybe opening a training program for young people interested in construction.
Now the same ticket sat at the center of a broken marriage.
I felt sick.
Jasmine continued.
"We need to keep it protected and make sure you follow the legal advice about marital property."
I nodded.
"I will."
Then she asked something unexpected.
"Have you told Mom?"
I shook my head.
Our mother, Evelyn Bennett, was seventy-two.
She lived in a small house in Savannah.
She had raised Jasmine and me after our father died.
She worked two jobs.
Cleaned offices at night.
And somehow still found time to make us feel loved.
I hadn't told her anything about Nia yet.
I didn't know how.
Jasmine looked at me.
"She'll want to know you're okay."
I swallowed.
"I'm not okay."
My sister's eyes filled.
"I know."
She reached for my hand.
For a moment, I felt like a child again.
Then she whispered,
"You don't have to pretend with us."
I began crying.
Jasmine hugged me.
For a long time, we sat quietly.
That afternoon, Olivia called.
Investigators had been contacted about the suspicious financial transfers.
The bank was reviewing the transactions.
The lender had opened a fraud inquiry concerning the house loan.
And Tasha had provided documents showing Damian's investment promises.
There was still a long road ahead.
But at least the process had begun.
Then Olivia said something that made my stomach tighten.
"Marcus, Damian's attorney contacted us."
I sat straighter.
"Why?"
"He claims Nia authorized all the transfers."
I felt cold.
"What?"
Olivia continued.
"He says Damian acted as an adviser and received money under signed agreements."
I looked toward the hallway.
Nia was upstairs.
I swallowed.
"Did she sign?"
"Some documents appear to bear her signature."
My heart pounded.
"And mine?"
Olivia hesitated.
"Several forms contain signatures attributed to you."
I closed my eyes.
"Olivia, I didn't sign them."
"I understand."
She continued.
"We'll investigate the authentication records."
I nodded.
Then she said something unexpected.
"Marcus, Damian also claims the house loan was Nia's idea."
I stared.
"What?"
"He says she wanted funds to leave the marriage."
My stomach tightened.
I thought about Nia saying she needed a way out.
I thought about the hidden suitcase.
The hotel reservation.
The forty-eight-thousand-dollar transfer.
Suddenly, I wondered whether Damian had manipulated her or whether they had planned the entire scheme together.
I took a breath.
"I need the truth."
Olivia nodded.
"That's what we're working toward."
That evening, Nia came downstairs.
She looked exhausted.
Her hair was tied back.
Her eyes were swollen.
She stood in the doorway.
"Marcus?"
I looked up.
"Yes?"
She swallowed.
"Damian isn't answering me."
I stared.
She continued.
"He blocked my number."
My chest tightened.
She began crying.
"I went to the Bellmont Hotel."
I sat straighter.
"And?"
"He checked out."
My stomach dropped.
"When?"
"This morning."
I closed my eyes.
Damian was disappearing.
Just as Jasmine feared.
Nia stepped closer.
"Marcus, I think he took the money."
I looked at her.
For a moment, I felt sympathy.
Then I remembered Tasha.
The company funds.
The house loan.
And Nia telling me she didn't need me anymore.
I took a slow breath.
"Nia, we need to tell the investigators everything."
She nodded.
"I know."
Then she whispered,
"There's something I haven't told you."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
She covered her face.
"Damian made me sign a document."
I stared.
"What document?"
Her voice broke.
"A statement saying you approved the investments."
I stopped breathing.
May you like
She began crying harder.
"And Marcus, he said if I ever told the truth, he'd make sure you lost your company."
