Chapter 5
Anthony didn't answer immediately.
I could hear traffic in the background.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Derek, I think you need to sit down."
My stomach tightened.
"I'm already sitting."
He swallowed.
"Your wife and Jasmine hosted an investment meeting about four months ago."
I stared at the wall.
"Where?"
"At that restaurant near Buckhead."
I remembered the evening.
Nia told me she was having dinner with her sister and some friends.
She wore a beautiful black dress.
She kissed me goodbye.
And she asked whether I wanted anything brought home.
I had no idea she was using my name to attract investors.
"Who attended?"
Anthony hesitated.
"Me. My cousin Michael. Two people from my church. And a woman named Felicia."
I closed my eyes.
"How much money?"
"What?"
"How much did everyone invest?"
He took a breath.
"I don't know the total."
I felt sick.
"But I know Michael put in thirty thousand."
My chest tightened.
"The church members?"
"Fifteen each."
I rubbed my forehead.
"And Felicia?"
"Twenty-five."
I added the amounts mentally.
Twenty thousand from Anthony.
Thirty from Michael.
Thirty from the church members.
Twenty-five from Felicia.
One hundred and five thousand dollars.
And that was only the people Anthony remembered.
I leaned forward.
"Did Nia say I personally guaranteed anything?"
Anthony hesitated.
"She said you were the financial partner."
I felt cold.
"What exactly did she say?"
"That your construction company would handle renovations."
I stared.
"Renovations of what?"
"A small apartment building."
I closed my eyes.
There had never been an apartment building.
At least none I knew about.
Anthony continued.
"She showed us pictures."
My stomach tightened.
"Pictures?"
"Yeah. Before-and-after renderings."
I felt a terrible realization forming.
Someone had used my professional reputation to make the investment appear legitimate.
I asked Anthony to preserve every document, message, and presentation he'd received.
Then I told him the truth.
"Anthony, I never agreed to this investment."
Silence.
Then he whispered, "What?"
"I didn't authorize anything."
He stopped breathing for a moment.
"Derek, are you saying..."
"I'm saying we need to find out what happened."
Anthony cursed under his breath.
Then his voice broke.
"Man, that was my daughter's college money."
I closed my eyes.
I remembered his daughter, Maya.
She was sixteen.
A bright girl who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian.
Anthony had spent years saving for her education.
Now some of that money might be gone.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He shook his head.
"You didn't do this."
"I know."
But I still felt responsible.
My name had been used.
My business reputation.
My wife's promises.
And people I'd known for years had trusted them.
I ended the call and sat alone.
Then I opened my email.
I searched for Harbor Ridge.
Nothing.
I searched for Jasmine.
Several old messages appeared.
Birthday invitations.
Holiday plans.
Requests for temporary financial help.
Then one email caught my attention.
It had been sent six months earlier.
The subject line read:
PROJECT SUPPORT CONFIRMATION.
I opened it.
It was from Nia.
She had written:
"Anthony needs reassurance that Derek is involved. Can you send him the revised presentation?"
The recipient wasn't Jasmine.
It was someone named Victor Lane.
My heart began pounding.
I searched the name.
Victor Lane.
Real estate consultant.
At least, that's what his online profile claimed.
Then I noticed something.
His business address matched the virtual mailbox used by Silver Oak Advisory Group.
I stared at the screen.
Jasmine wasn't operating alone.
There was another person involved.
And Nia had known his name.
I called Raymond immediately.
He listened carefully.
Then asked me to forward the email.
"Derek, this may be important."
I nodded.
"Do you think it's fraud?"
He paused.
"The conduct you've described raises serious concerns. But investigators will need to establish who knew what and when."
I understood.
I didn't want to accuse anyone without evidence.
But the pieces were beginning to fit.
Jasmine had created the investment story.
Nia had used my reputation.
Victor had apparently helped prepare presentations.
And several people had transferred money.
I looked toward the city skyline.
For years, I'd believed the biggest problem in our marriage was Nia's inability to say no to her sister.
Now I wondered whether Nia had been much more involved than she'd admitted.
That evening, I returned home.
Nia was sitting at the dining table.
She hadn't changed clothes.
Her eyes were swollen.
The breakfast dishes were gone.
But the bank statements remained.
I placed my briefcase beside the chair.
"We need to talk."
She looked up.
"I know."
I sat across from her.
"Who's Victor Lane?"
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
But I saw it.
"He's Jasmine's friend."
I stared.
"What kind of friend?"
"A business contact."
I placed the email on the table.
Nia looked down.
Her lips parted.
I watched her read the words she'd written.
Then she began crying again.
"Derek, I can explain."
"Then explain."
She rubbed her forehead.
"Victor helped Jasmine put the project together."
"What project?"
"The apartment building."
I stared.
"Nia, there is no apartment building."
She shook her head.
"There was supposed to be."
I leaned closer.
"Did you know investors were being told I was involved?"
She went quiet.
I repeated the question.
"Did you know?"
Finally, she whispered, "Yes."
I felt something inside me collapse.
"Did you tell them that?"
She nodded.
My chest tightened.
"Why?"
"Because they wouldn't invest otherwise."
Silence filled the dining room.
I stared at her.
She stared at the table.
Then I asked the question I'd been avoiding all day.
"Nia, did you knowingly use my name to get people to hand over money?"
May you like
Her voice broke.
"At first, I thought we'd repay everyone before you found out."
