Chapter 3
The photograph showed Lauren smiling in front of a white house with black shutters.
A Mercedes sat in the driveway.
A red SOLD sign stood beside the mailbox.
I stared at the image.
Lauren had told everyone she was renting.
Now someone was suggesting she'd bought a house.
With money that might have come from my father.
Dad leaned over my shoulder.
"Where did you get that?"
"Someone just sent it."
He read the messages.
His face darkened.
"Who's this from?"
"I don't know."
Denise moved toward us.
"Let me see."
Dad turned the phone away.
"Sit down."
She froze.
"Marcus."
"Sit down, Denise."
For once, she obeyed.
Dad looked at the photograph again.
Then called Raymond.
He explained the new messages.
Raymond asked us to forward them and preserve the phone records.
He cautioned us not to assume the claims were accurate until they could be verified.
Dad nodded.
"I understand."
Then he asked Raymond to investigate whether anyone had been attempting to sell Johnson Construction.
When the call ended, Denise started crying again.
"Marcus, please."
He looked at her.
"Is Lauren buying a house?"
She hesitated.
"I don't know."
Dad stared.
"You don't know where your daughter lives?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then answer the question."
Denise's lips trembled.
"She found a good opportunity."
Dad closed his eyes.
"How much did you give her?"
She shook her head.
"I helped with the down payment."
"How much?"
Silence.
Dad's voice rose.
"Denise!"
She finally whispered, "Thirty thousand."
I felt sick.
Thirty thousand.
On top of the recurring payments.
On top of the trust withdrawals.
On top of the consulting invoices.
Dad stared at her.
"Where did that money come from?"
Denise looked at the floor.
I already knew the answer.
At least part of it.
Three weeks earlier, I'd noticed an unusual transfer from the company's equipment reserve.
The description said PROPERTY ADVANCE.
At the time, I assumed Dad had approved it.
Now I wasn't sure.
I opened the records on my laptop.
Dad watched me search.
Then I found the transaction.
Thirty thousand dollars.
Transferred to a title company.
I turned the screen toward him.
"Here."
He read it.
His expression changed.
"That's the reserve for our new excavator."
I nodded.
He looked at Denise.
"You used company money to buy Lauren a house?"
Denise lifted her chin.
"It's an investment!"
Dad stared.
"Whose investment?"
"Our family's!"
I couldn't stop myself.
"Then why isn't my name anywhere on it?"
Denise snapped toward me.
"Because you're not my daughter!"
The words struck like a slap.
Dad stood immediately.
"That's enough."
Denise looked furious.
"I won't apologize for helping my child!"
Dad shook his head.
"Nobody asked you to stop loving Lauren."
He pointed toward the documents.
"I asked you to stop taking money without permission."
Denise's expression changed.
She looked frightened again.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Dad nodded toward it.
"Answer on speaker."
I hesitated.
Then pressed the button.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice answered.
"Maya Johnson?"
"Yes."
"My name is Allison Reed."
I frowned.
"Do I know you?"
"No. But I used to work for Lauren."
My heart began pounding.
Dad leaned closer.
Allison continued.
"I sent you those photographs."
I swallowed.
"Why?"
There was a long pause.
Then she whispered, "Because I think your father is being robbed."
Dad's face hardened.
"What do you know?"
Allison hesitated.
"Who am I speaking with?"
"Marcus Johnson."
She went quiet.
Then said, "Mr. Johnson, I'm sorry."
Dad looked confused.
"For what?"
"I helped Lauren organize documents for her consulting company."
I felt cold.
Allison continued.
"At first, I thought she was doing legitimate work for Johnson Construction."
Dad folded his arms.
"And then?"
"She asked me to prepare invoices for services that were never performed."
The room went silent.
Denise stood abruptly.
"She's lying!"
Allison heard her.
"Is that Denise?"
Dad answered firmly.
"Yes."
Allison took a shaky breath.
"Then please don't let her near the documents."
I looked toward Denise.
Her face had gone pale.
Allison explained that Lauren had been using her company to receive payments from several businesses.
Some work was legitimate.
Other invoices appeared questionable.
She became suspicious after noticing duplicate billing descriptions.
When she confronted Lauren, she was fired.
Then she discovered that Lauren had been discussing a possible sale of Johnson Construction with an outside investor.
Dad's expression changed completely.
"That's impossible."
Allison hesitated.
"She told the investor her mother controlled the company finances."
Dad looked toward Denise.
Denise began shaking her head.
"I never said that."
Allison continued.
"Lauren claimed your retirement was already planned."
Dad stared.
"Retirement?"
I felt my stomach drop.
He had never mentioned retiring.
Johnson Construction was his life's work.
He still visited job sites every morning.
He knew every employee by name.
He loved his business.
Allison's voice shook.
"Mr. Johnson, I have copies of the emails."
Dad took a slow breath.
"Send them to Raymond Price. He's my attorney."
Allison agreed.
Then she paused.
"There's something else."
I swallowed.
"What?"
She hesitated.
"I think Lauren was planning to make Maya sign something."
My heart stopped.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Allison took a shaky breath.
"Because of your mother's trust."
I stared at Dad.
He looked equally shocked.
Allison continued.
"Lauren said the trust had an ownership interest connected to your father's company."
Dad slowly sat down.
I looked at him.
"Dad?"
He covered his face.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then whispered, "Your mother helped me start Johnson Construction."
I stared at him.
"What?"
He looked up.
His eyes were wet.
"Olivia invested money from her inheritance when the business was struggling."
My throat tightened.
I had never known that.
Dad continued.
"Her estate retained a small ownership interest."
I felt sick.
"And that belongs to me?"
He nodded.
"Through the trust."
I looked toward Denise.
She wouldn't meet my eyes.
Suddenly, I understood why she'd been so desperate to control the accounts.
The trust wasn't just money sitting in a bank.
It also represented ownership in Dad's company.
And Lauren might have been trying to get control of that too.
Allison whispered through the phone.
"Maya, there's a document you need to see."
I swallowed.
"What document?"
"A consent form."
My heart pounded.
"What does it say?"
Allison hesitated.
Then whispered, "It says you agree to sell your interest in Johnson Construction."
I stared at Dad.
He looked devastated.
Then Allison added the part that made my blood run cold.
"The signature on it looks exactly like yours."
I couldn't breathe.
May you like
Because I had never signed anything.
And somewhere, someone had already decided my future was theirs to sell.
