Chapter 4
I wanted to drive straight to the lender's office.
I wanted to walk inside and demand that Vanessa explain why she was using my company.
But David stopped me.
"Nia, don't confront her."
I stared at him.
"She's trying to take five hundred thousand dollars in my name!"
"I know."
"Then why shouldn't I go?"
"Because we need the lender to preserve the records and stop unauthorized activity without a confrontation that could complicate the investigation."
I pressed my hands against the conference table.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Tasha stood beside me.
"Listen to him, Nia."
I closed my eyes.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
David made several calls.
The lender was notified that I disputed the application.
The processing was paused.
Relevant records were preserved.
And Vanessa left without receiving any money.
I felt relief.
But it lasted only a moment.
Because Rachel discovered another connection.
VJ Creative Solutions was registered to Vanessa Johnson.
The company had received more than eighty thousand dollars from my business.
There were invoices for marketing services.
Campaign management.
Consulting.
Services my company had never requested.
I stared at the documents.
"Marcus approved these?"
Rachel nodded.
"His credentials were used."
I felt sick.
For years, I'd trusted Marcus to help with administrative work when I was traveling.
He handled certain vendor requests.
Scheduled maintenance.
Reviewed minor expenses.
But he was never authorized to create fictitious business relationships.
I looked at David.
"Can we recover the money?"
"Possibly. But first we need to establish what happened and where the funds went."
I nodded.
Then I asked the question I'd been avoiding.
"Could my company fail because of this?"
Rachel looked at me gently.
"Not if we act carefully and stabilize the accounts."
I swallowed.
Twenty-three employees.
Twenty-three families.
I wasn't going to let Marcus's betrayal take their livelihoods too.
That afternoon, I returned home with Tasha.
Marcus was waiting in the living room.
He stood when I entered.
"Nia."
I stopped.
"We need to talk."
His face looked pale.
"I know."
Tasha remained beside me.
Marcus glanced at her.
"Can we have privacy?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He sighed.
"Nia, please."
I folded my arms.
"Did you authorize payments to Vanessa's company?"
He looked down.
"Some."
My chest tightened.
"How many?"
He hesitated.
"I don't remember."
I stared at him.
"Marcus, nearly two hundred thousand dollars is missing."
His head snapped up.
"What?"
I watched his face.
For a moment, he looked genuinely shocked.
Then his expression changed.
"That can't be right."
I took a step forward.
"Why?"
He swallowed.
"Because I only transferred about ninety thousand."
The room went silent.
Tasha looked at me.
I felt my heart pounding.
"Only?"
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Nia—"
"You stole ninety thousand dollars from my company?"
He shook his head.
"I borrowed it."
I laughed bitterly.
"Without asking me?"
"I was going to repay it."
"With what?"
He didn't answer.
I looked at him.
"Where did the rest go?"
He stared at the floor.
"I don't know."
I wanted to believe him.
But I couldn't.
Not after the affair.
Not after the lies.
Not after the medical report he'd hidden.
I took a breath.
"Vanessa tried to complete a loan application in my name today."
Marcus went completely still.
"What?"
"Five hundred thousand dollars."
His face changed.
"She did what?"
I watched him carefully.
"Did you know?"
He shook his head immediately.
"No."
For the first time, I saw genuine panic.
Not embarrassment.
Not anger.
Panic.
He grabbed his phone.
"I'm calling her."
I raised my hand.
"No."
He stared at me.
"Nia, she can't do that."
"Then let the investigation establish what happened."
He shook his head.
"She told me she had business investors."
My stomach tightened.
"What investors?"
He rubbed his face.
"I don't know."
"Marcus."
He looked at me.
"What?"
"Why would you trust a woman who was sleeping with your brother?"
His face crumpled.
"I didn't know about Andre."
I stared at him.
For once, I believed that part.
He looked genuinely devastated.
But his pain didn't erase mine.
He had betrayed me before discovering her betrayal.
I took a slow breath.
"Marcus, we're separating."
He stared at me.
"What?"
"I want a divorce."
His eyes filled.
"Nia, please."
I shook my head.
"No."
"We can fix this."
I looked at him.
"You didn't just break my trust."
My voice trembled.
"You put my employees at risk."
He stepped closer.
I moved back.
"You used my company to fund your affair."
He began crying.
"I made a terrible mistake."
I felt tears rise.
"Then you need to face the consequences."
He covered his face.
I looked away.
For nine years, he'd been my best friend.
The person I called when something wonderful happened.
The person I leaned on when I was frightened.
And now I couldn't trust him with a single financial document.
That night, Marcus moved into the guest suite while our attorneys arranged the next steps.
I secured my accounts.
Changed passwords.
Revoked unnecessary access.
And worked with Rachel to protect the company.
Within two weeks, the business was stable.
The employees were paid.
No legitimate client services were interrupted.
But the investigation continued.
Vanessa hired an attorney.
Andre stopped answering calls.
Marcus began cooperating with the financial review after receiving legal advice.
Then something unexpected happened.
Andre contacted me.
He sounded frightened.
"Nia."
I sat down.
"What do you want?"
"I need to tell you something."
I looked toward Tasha, who was sitting nearby.
"What?"
"Vanessa is lying about more than the pregnancy."
My stomach tightened.
"Explain."
He took a breath.
"She told me she needed money because someone was threatening her."
I frowned.
"Who?"
Andre hesitated.
"I don't know."
"Then why are you calling me?"
His voice broke.
"Because I found documents at the townhouse."
I leaned forward.
"What documents?"
"Copies of your company's contracts."
My heart stopped.
I stared at the wall.
"How did she get those?"
Andre swallowed.
"I think Marcus gave them to her."
I closed my eyes.
He continued.
"And there are files about your biggest client."
My stomach tightened.
My largest client was a regional hospital network.
We'd spent two years building a major consulting agreement.
If confidential information had been improperly disclosed, the damage could be devastating.
"Andre, where are the documents?"
He hesitated.
"At the townhouse."
I took a breath.
"Preserve them. Don't alter anything. Have your attorney contact mine."
He agreed.
Then his voice dropped.
"Nia, there's something else."
I waited.
"Vanessa wasn't planning to stay with Marcus."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Andre swallowed.
"She was planning to leave both of us."
My chest tightened.
"With the money?"
"Yes."
Then he said something that made me go completely still.
"And she was planning to sell your client information to a competitor."
I stared at the phone.
The affair had been painful.
The financial betrayal had been devastating.
But now I understood something far worse.
May you like
Someone had been trying to destroy my business from the inside.
And the man I'd married had opened the door.
