Chapter 3
My accountant answered on the second ring.
"Nia?"
"Rachel, I need you to check something."
Rachel Johnson had handled my company's books for seven years.
She knew every contract, every account, and every major expense.
More importantly, she knew me.
The moment she heard my voice, her tone changed.
"What's wrong?"
I looked at Marcus.
He was standing near the fireplace, watching me.
"I need an emergency review of all payments made to Bennett Property Management during the past year."
Silence.
Then Rachel asked, "Why?"
My stomach tightened.
"Because I believe some were unauthorized."
Marcus shook his head.
"Nia, don't."
I ignored him.
Rachel spoke carefully.
"Are you somewhere private?"
"Not yet."
"Then don't discuss sensitive financial details in front of anyone who may be involved."
I swallowed.
"Understood."
She paused.
"Come to the office. Bring your attorney."
I ended the call.
Marcus stepped toward me.
"You're turning this into something bigger than it needs to be."
I stared at him.
"Did you use my company to pay for Vanessa's townhouse?"
He looked away.
"It was temporary."
My heart tightened.
"How much?"
He didn't answer.
"Marcus."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I don't know the exact amount."
Andre suddenly spoke.
"About seventy thousand."
The room went silent.
I turned toward him.
"Seventy thousand dollars?"
He nodded.
Vanessa began crying again.
Marcus glared at his brother.
"Shut up."
Andre shook his head.
"No. I'm done lying."
I felt physically sick.
My company employed twenty-three people.
Twenty-three families depended on our payroll.
We provided medical operations consulting for clinics across Georgia.
I'd built the business from a small rented office.
I'd worked nights.
Weekends.
Holidays.
Marcus knew how much it meant to me.
And he'd used company funds to support his affair.
I took a deep breath.
"All three of you need to leave."
Marcus stared at me.
"This is my house too."
I nodded.
"We'll address that through our attorneys."
He folded his arms.
"I'm not leaving because you're angry."
I looked directly at him.
"Then stay in the guest room while we arrange separate living arrangements. But Vanessa and Andre are leaving now."
Vanessa wiped her face.
"Where am I supposed to go?"
I stared at her.
"The townhouse."
She flinched.
Andre stepped forward.
"Nia, I'm sorry."
I raised my hand.
"Don't."
He stopped.
I looked at Vanessa.
"You came into my home, smiled in my face, and announced that you were having my husband's baby."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You don't get to ask me for sympathy because your lies are falling apart."
She lowered her head.
I turned toward the door.
"Leave."
Andre took her hand.
She pulled away.
For one brief moment, I saw the truth of their relationship.
They weren't united.
They were frightened.
And each was already thinking about how to protect themselves.
After they left, Marcus stood alone in the living room.
I looked at him.
"How could you?"
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came.
I felt tears sliding down my cheeks.
"I gave you everything."
His expression softened.
"Nia—"
"I trusted you with my home."
I swallowed.
"My business."
My voice broke.
"My heart."
He stepped closer.
"I made mistakes."
I shook my head.
"No."
He froze.
"You made choices."
For several seconds, we stared at each other.
Then he whispered, "I never stopped loving you."
I laughed through my tears.
"Then why did you spend our money on another woman?"
He looked down.
I waited.
He couldn't answer.
That night, I slept in the guest bedroom with the door locked.
I called my sister, Tasha.
She arrived within an hour.
The moment I saw her, I broke down.
She hugged me while I cried.
Then she made tea and sat beside me.
"Tell me everything."
I did.
The pregnancy announcement.
The medical report.
Andre.
The townhouse.
The money.
When I finished, she stared at me.
"Nia, you need a lawyer."
"I know."
"And you need to protect your business immediately."
I nodded.
She squeezed my hand.
"But first, you need to understand something."
I looked at her.
"This is not your fault."
I started crying again.
Because I'd spent years wondering whether my inability to conceive was destroying my marriage.
Marcus had allowed me to carry that shame.
Now I knew he'd hidden his own medical results.
And still blamed me.
The next morning, Tasha drove me to Rachel's office.
My attorney, David Collins, joined us.
Rachel had already prepared a preliminary report.
She placed a folder on the conference table.
"Nia, I need you to stay calm."
My stomach tightened.
"How bad?"
She took a breath.
"We found several payments that don't match legitimate company expenses."
I stared at her.
"How many?"
"Twenty-six transactions."
My heart pounded.
"Total?"
Rachel looked toward David.
Then back at me.
"One hundred eighty-four thousand dollars."
I felt the air leave my lungs.
I had expected seventy thousand.
Maybe ninety.
Not nearly two hundred thousand.
I covered my mouth.
Rachel continued.
"Some payments were made to Bennett Property Management."
I nodded.
"Others went to a marketing company."
I frowned.
"What marketing company?"
She slid a document toward me.
The company name was VJ Creative Solutions.
My stomach turned.
"VJ?"
Rachel nodded.
"We're checking the ownership."
I stared at the paper.
Vanessa.
Jordan.
Or possibly Andre.
The initials could mean anything.
But I suddenly remembered something.
Vanessa had once mentioned running a small digital marketing business.
She said she worked with luxury brands.
I had congratulated her.
I had even offered advice.
Now I wondered whether her company had been receiving my money.
David leaned forward.
"Nia, we need to preserve the records and determine who authorized each transfer."
I nodded.
Rachel continued.
"There's another concern."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Someone attempted to increase Marcus's payment permissions three weeks ago."
I froze.
"Did it work?"
"No. The bank required additional verification."
I exhaled.
Then Rachel looked at me.
"But the request was submitted using your electronic credentials."
I stared at her.
"My credentials?"
She nodded.
I felt cold.
Marcus knew my passwords years ago.
I'd changed them regularly.
But he had access to my home office.
My laptop.
My documents.
I whispered, "He tried to impersonate me."
David raised a hand.
"We need to verify exactly how the request was made before drawing conclusions."
I nodded slowly.
Then Rachel placed one final document on the table.
"This is what worries me most."
I stared at it.
A loan application.
Submitted in my company's name.
The requested amount was five hundred thousand dollars.
I stopped breathing.
"Who applied for this?"
Rachel looked at me.
"The application contains your name and signature."
I shook my head.
"I never signed it."
David leaned forward.
"Was the loan approved?"
Rachel shook her head.
"Not yet. The lender requested additional documents."
I closed my eyes.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
Marcus had already taken almost two hundred thousand.
Now someone was trying to borrow another half million using my business.
I looked at David.
"What do we do?"
His expression was serious.
"We notify the lender, secure the accounts, and preserve evidence. Then we examine whether fraud occurred."
I nodded.
My hands were shaking.
Tasha reached for me.
"Nia."
I looked at her.
"You're not alone."
Tears filled my eyes.
I took a breath.
Then Rachel's phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
Her expression changed.
"What is it?" I asked.
She answered.
Listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
"Nia."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"The lender just contacted us."
I waited.
Rachel swallowed.
"Someone is at their office right now trying to finalize the application."
I stared at her.
"Who?"
She hesitated.
Then said a name that made my blood run cold.
"Vanessa."
I slowly stood.
May you like
Because my husband's pregnant mistress wasn't simply lying about her baby's father.
She was trying to take control of the business I'd spent twelve years building.
