Chapter 6
I regretted telling Dad about the flowers almost immediately.
Not because it wasn't true.
But because of the way his face changed.
He looked as though something inside him had finally broken.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I nodded.
"I remember the card."
Grandma looked at him.
"Marcus, sit down."
He shook his head.
"I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
He walked toward the window and stood with his back to us.
I watched his shoulders rise and fall.
He was trying not to cry.
My father had always seemed impossible to break.
He could carry heavy materials at construction sites.
He could solve problems that left other people frustrated.
He could work twelve-hour days and still come home smiling.
But betrayal was different.
There was nothing to lift.
Nothing to repair with tools.
And no amount of strength could make it hurt less.
"Dad?"
He turned.
I took a step toward him.
"I'm sorry."
He immediately shook his head.
"No, Maya."
"But I—"
He crossed the room and hugged me.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
I started crying.
He held me tightly.
"None of this is your fault."
The next day, Daniel confirmed that Raymond Ellis was connected to several companies receiving payments from Silver Oak Properties.
He was also listed as a consultant on the townhouse acquisition.
Dad stared at the documents.
"Who is he?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"He's a real estate broker. And according to the public records, he previously lived at the same address as Denise."
My stomach twisted.
"Before she married Dad?"
Daniel nodded.
Dad lowered his head.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Daniel added:
"We don't know the nature of their current relationship. The financial records are what matter for the investigation."
Dad nodded slowly.
"Then let's stay focused."
I was proud of him for saying that.
Because the old Dad might have stormed out looking for Raymond.
But this time, he seemed determined not to let anger make things worse.
He wanted the truth.
And he wanted to protect me.
A week later, the situation became even more complicated.
Tasha called me.
I almost ignored it.
Then I remembered the threatening messages.
I answered and put the call on speaker while Grandma sat beside me.
"What do you want?"
Tasha sounded different.
She wasn't arrogant.
She was crying.
"Maya, please don't hang up."
I looked at Grandma.
She nodded for me to listen.
"What happened?" I asked.
Tasha took a shaky breath.
"My mom lied to me."
I felt my chest tighten.
"About what?"
"The townhouse."
I sat straighter.
"What about it?"
"She told me Marcus agreed to help buy it."
I stared at the phone.
"That doesn't make sense."
"I know."
Tasha started sobbing.
"She said the money was part of a family investment. She told me I'd manage the property and eventually sell it."
I looked at Grandma.
She was listening carefully.
Tasha continued.
"I didn't know she was taking money from your college account."
My voice hardened.
"But you knew I wasn't getting anything."
Silence.
Then she whispered:
"Yes."
The honesty surprised me.
I swallowed.
"You laughed when she refused to buy me clothes."
"I know."
"You told me I wasn't your sister."
Tasha began crying harder.
"I'm sorry."
I looked down.
For years, I'd wanted her to apologize.
But hearing it now didn't magically make the pain disappear.
"Why are you calling me?" I asked.
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Because Mom is trying to make me sign something."
My heart began pounding.
"What?"
"She wants me to sign papers saying I made the transfers myself."
Grandma immediately leaned forward.
"Tell her not to sign anything," she whispered.
I repeated it.
"Tasha, don't sign."
Tasha started crying.
"She says if I don't, I'll ruin her life."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Denise was doing what she'd always done.
Making someone else feel responsible for protecting her.
"What does she want you to say?" I asked.
"That Marcus knew about the payments. That he approved everything."
I felt sick.
"That's a lie."
"I know."
Tasha sniffled.
"She says nobody will believe me if I tell the truth."
Grandma took the phone.
"Tasha, this is Ruth Carter."
There was a pause.
"Hi, Mrs. Carter."
"Listen carefully, sweetheart. You need your own attorney. Don't sign anything you don't understand, and don't destroy any documents or messages."
Tasha began crying again.
"Okay."
Grandma continued.
"And don't let your mother convince you that telling the truth is betrayal."
After the call ended, we contacted Dad.
He immediately told Daniel.
Daniel advised that Tasha obtain independent legal counsel and preserve the messages.
Later that evening, Tasha sent screenshots of her conversations with Denise.
One message made my stomach turn.
Denise had written:
"If Marcus finds out everything, all three of us lose. You need to protect your mother."
All three of us.
I stared at those words.
Who was the third person?
Denise.
Tasha.
And Raymond?
Or was she counting my father?
I didn't know.
Two days later, Daniel called a family meeting.
Dad, Grandma, and I gathered in his office.
He placed several folders on the table.
"I have more information about Raymond Ellis."
Dad leaned forward.
Daniel continued.
"Raymond was involved in several property transactions connected to Silver Oak. We're examining whether those transactions were legitimate."
He handed Dad a copy of a public filing.
Dad studied it.
Then frowned.
"What's this address?"
Daniel looked at him.
"A residential property purchased eighteen months ago."
Dad stared.
"Another property?"
Daniel nodded.
"And there appears to be a personal connection between Raymond and Denise."
I swallowed.
"What kind of connection?"
Daniel took a breath.
"Public records show they were married more than twenty years ago."
My mouth fell open.
"Married?"
Dad looked stunned.
"Denise never told me she'd been married before."
Daniel nodded.
"According to the available records, they divorced years ago."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Dad whispered:
"So my wife has been secretly transferring money to her ex-husband."
Daniel folded his hands.
"That's one possible explanation, but the transactions need to be traced before we can establish exactly what happened."
I stared at the table.
Then something clicked.
Tasha's company.
Raymond's payments.
The townhouse.
Denise's secret trips.
It was all connected.
But there was something else that bothered me.
If Denise had been planning this for so long, why had she suddenly become careless with the shopping money?
Why had she spent thousands on designer clothes where Dad could easily find them?
I looked at Daniel.
"Can I ask something?"
He nodded.
"Of course."
"Why would Denise risk getting caught over shopping bags if she was hiding something much bigger?"
Daniel studied me.
"That's a good question."
Dad turned toward me.
"What are you thinking?"
I hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Maybe she thought she wouldn't need to hide much longer."
The room went silent.
And that was when Daniel revealed the next discovery.
A withdrawal request had been submitted from one of Dad's business accounts.
The requested amount was $120,000.
May you like
The destination was an account associated with a company Raymond controlled.
And the scheduled transfer date was the following morning.
