Chapter 5
I had never seen my father move so quickly.
Within an hour, Raymond contacted the potential buyer's attorney.
He formally disputed the claimed authorization.
He notified the company's bank.
And he arranged for the original corporate records to be secured.
Dad called his business partners and senior managers.
I sat beside Olivia, reviewing documents.
Every few minutes, another email arrived.
Another invoice.
Another account statement.
Another piece of evidence suggesting Denise and Lauren had been moving money through businesses they controlled.
I felt exhausted.
But I refused to stop.
At noon, Raymond returned to the conference room.
"The closing has been postponed."
I exhaled.
Dad closed his eyes.
"Thank God."
Raymond nodded.
"But we need to understand how they got this far."
Olivia continued examining the records.
Then she found something.
A letter of intent.
Signed by Lauren.
Representing herself as an authorized business development officer for Johnson Construction.
I stared at the page.
"She doesn't work there."
Dad shook his head.
"No."
Olivia pointed toward another document.
"This states Denise has authority to approve financial transactions."
Dad looked furious.
"She had limited administrative access. Not ownership authority."
Raymond nodded.
"Then those representations need to be challenged."
I looked down at the paperwork.
The sheer confidence of the lies frightened me.
Lauren had apparently been presenting herself as someone with power over a company she'd never helped build.
And Denise had supported her.
I remembered Lauren laughing at my nursing-school uniform.
Telling me I should marry someone wealthy instead of working so hard.
Now she was trying to profit from the business my parents had spent years creating.
My stomach twisted.
Then my phone rang.
Lauren.
I stared at the screen.
Dad noticed.
"Don't answer without Raymond here."
I nodded.
Raymond stepped closer.
We agreed to document the conversation.
I answered on speaker.
"Hello?"
Lauren's voice sounded angry.
"Maya, what the hell are you doing?"
I swallowed.
"Excuse me?"
"You're interfering with a business deal."
Dad's expression hardened.
I took a breath.
"Lauren, I didn't authorize any sale."
She laughed.
"You don't understand business."
I felt anger rise.
"I understand my signature."
She went quiet.
I continued.
"And I know I didn't sign that consent form."
Lauren's voice sharpened.
"Mom said you'd agree."
I stared at the phone.
"Then she was wrong."
Lauren scoffed.
"You're being selfish."
I almost laughed.
For years, I'd heard that word whenever I refused to give something away.
I took a slow breath.
"Lauren, did you sign my name?"
Silence.
Then she snapped, "You're making this bigger than it needs to be."
My chest tightened.
"Answer the question."
She raised her voice.
"I was trying to help our family!"
Dad stepped forward.
"Lauren."
The line went quiet.
He continued.
"This is Marcus."
Lauren's voice changed instantly.
"Marcus, thank God."
He stared at the phone.
"You need to stop."
She sounded confused.
"What?"
"Stop representing yourself as authorized to sell my company."
Her breathing quickened.
"But Mom said—"
Dad interrupted.
"I don't care what Denise told you."
He took a breath.
"You are not authorized to act for Johnson Construction."
Lauren began crying.
"You're ruining everything!"
Dad looked devastated.
"No, Lauren."
His voice softened.
"You're responsible for your own decisions."
She hung up.
I stared at the phone.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Raymond nodded.
"That conversation may help clarify what she believed and what she represented."
Dad sank into a chair.
He looked exhausted.
I touched his shoulder.
"Dad?"
He nodded weakly.
"I'm okay."
But I could see the pain in his eyes.
He'd helped raise Lauren since she was nineteen.
He'd paid for college classes.
Helped with car repairs.
Supported her when she changed jobs.
Now she was trying to take control of his business.
I wondered whether betrayal hurt him the same way it hurt me.
Later that afternoon, Denise arrived at Raymond's office.
She hadn't been invited.
She stood near the reception desk crying.
When Dad stepped into the hallway, she rushed toward him.
"Marcus, please."
He stopped.
"Denise."
She grabbed his arm.
"Don't let them destroy Lauren."
Dad gently removed her hand.
"Lauren needs to answer for what she's done."
Denise shook her head.
"She's my daughter!"
Dad's expression changed.
"And Maya is mine."
I felt tears rise.
Denise looked toward me.
For once, she didn't insult me.
She looked frightened.
Then she whispered, "Maya, please help us."
I stared at her.
For seven years, she'd told me to solve my own problems.
Now she wanted me to solve hers.
I took a shaky breath.
"Denise, I'm not going to lie."
She began crying.
"You don't understand."
I looked at her.
"Then tell me."
She hesitated.
Dad folded his arms.
"Denise."
Her eyes filled.
Finally, she whispered, "Lauren owes money."
My stomach tightened.
"To whom?"
She looked away.
"A private lender."
Dad frowned.
"How much?"
Denise shook her head.
"I don't know exactly."
Raymond stepped closer.
"Denise, if there's pressure involving the proposed company sale, your attorney needs to know."
She began sobbing.
"Lauren said she'd lose everything."
I stared at her.
"So you took money from my mother's trust?"
Denise covered her face.
"I thought I could pay it back."
My eyes filled.
"With what?"
She didn't answer.
Then Dad asked the question that made everything clear.
"Was the business sale supposed to cover Lauren's debts?"
Denise nodded.
I felt sick.
She had been willing to sell my father's company and my mother's ownership interest to rescue her adult daughter from financial trouble.
And she'd never once considered what would happen to me.
I looked at her.
"Did you ever plan to tell us?"
Denise began crying harder.
"No."
That answer hurt more than anything else.
Not because it surprised me.
But because it confirmed what I'd always feared.
She didn't believe my future mattered.
Raymond asked Denise to leave and speak with her own attorney.
She eventually did.
That evening, Dad and I drove home in silence.
When we reached the driveway, he turned off the engine.
For a moment, he stared ahead.
Then whispered, "Maya, I need to tell you something."
I looked at him.
"What?"
His eyes filled.
"I've been thinking about everything Denise said."
I swallowed.
He continued.
"About you not being her responsibility."
I nodded.
Dad turned toward me.
"I should have noticed how differently she treated you."
My throat tightened.
"I didn't want to make you choose."
He shook his head.
"You should never have had to."
I began crying.
He reached for my hand.
May you like
Then said something I would never forget.
"I'm choosing to protect my daughter. And I should have done it years ago."
