Chapter 3 - The Family Debt
I drove away from my parents' house without saying goodbye.
Aunt Denise followed me to the gate.
She kept asking whether I was okay.
I told her yes.
It was a lie.
My hands shook so badly that I sat in my car for several minutes before starting the engine.
I had spent years telling myself that my father was difficult but loved me.
That my mother was weak but meant well.
That Jordan was spoiled but would eventually grow up.
Now those excuses sounded ridiculous.
I drove straight to Northstar's office.
Maya was waiting near the entrance.
She had been my closest friend since college.
We had built the company together, using borrowed desks, secondhand computers, and more determination than money.
When she saw my face, she didn't ask questions.
She hugged me.
I broke.
For the first time that afternoon, I cried.
Not quiet tears.
Not the controlled crying I had learned to do in my childhood bedroom.
I sobbed against her shoulder until I could barely breathe.
"How could he do this?" I whispered.
Maya tightened her arms.
"I don't know."
"He knows what this company means to me."
"I know."
"He knows what Grandma sacrificed."
Maya pulled back.
"Then we're going to protect it."
Inside the conference room, our attorney, Daniel Brooks, had spread several documents across the table.
He was a serious man in his forties who rarely looked surprised.
That day, he looked deeply concerned.
"Nia," he said, "I need you to tell me everything."
So I did.
The car.
The celebration.
The forged ownership transfer.
The loan.
I told him about the business documents I had given my father.
I told him about the strange dealership notification.
And I told him how Marcus had admitted there was something to hide.
Daniel listened without interrupting.
Then he pushed a document toward me.
"Do you recognize this signature?"
I looked down.
It resembled mine.
But the final letter was wrong.
My real signature curved upward.
This one ended in a straight line.
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely."
He showed me another paper.
"How about this one?"
I shook my head.
"No."
Daniel leaned back.
"Someone submitted documents claiming that you authorized a transfer of ownership and agreed to guarantee a substantial loan through Northstar."
"Can they do that?"
"They can submit fraudulent documents. That doesn't mean the transfers are valid or enforceable."
I swallowed.
"Can they take my company?"
"Not if we establish what's happened and act quickly."
Maya reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
Daniel continued.
"I've already notified the corporate filing service and the lender that these transactions are disputed. We've requested a hold on further action."
I nodded.
For the first time that day, I felt a small amount of hope.
Then he said something that made my stomach twist.
"The loan funds appear to have been released."
I looked up.
"Released to whom?"
"An account associated with Marcus Hamilton Enterprises."
My father's company.
The business he had been operating for twenty-five years.
"What did he do with the money?"
"We don't know yet."
Daniel pointed to another page.
"But the transfer happened eleven days ago."
Eleven days.
I remembered that date.
My father had called me that evening.
He sounded cheerful.
He asked how business was going.
He told me he was proud of me.
Then he asked if I could send him another copy of my digital signature for a potential client introduction.
I had refused because I was busy.
He laughed and said it wasn't important.
Apparently, he had found another way.
My phone started vibrating.
Dad.
I declined the call.
It rang again.
Then came a message.
Nia, stop involving outsiders. We are family. Come home so we can fix this.
I showed Daniel.
He studied the screen.
"Save everything."
Another message arrived.
You have no idea how much trouble you're causing.
Maya looked furious.
"He's threatening you."
I stared at the words.
My whole childhood was inside that sentence.
Every time I asked why Jordan received something I didn't.
Every time I complained about unfair treatment.
Every time I wanted to make a decision for myself.
I was the problem.
Never the person hurting me.
Always me.
"Can I file a police report?" I asked.
Daniel nodded.
"Yes. And we should preserve the records immediately."
A knock interrupted us.
Our receptionist opened the door.
"There's someone here asking for Nia."
My heart stopped.
"Who?"
"Your brother."
Maya stood immediately.
"He is not coming in."
But Jordan pushed past her before she could close the door.
He wore the same dark sweater from the party.
His expression was furious.
"You really went to a lawyer?"
I stared at him.
"Get out."
"Dad says you're trying to destroy the family."
"You signed papers taking forty percent of my business."
He looked at Daniel.
"I was told that was my share."
"Your share?" Maya repeated.
Jordan shrugged.
"Dad said Northstar was supposed to become a family company."
I rose slowly.
"Did you know my signature was forged?"
He hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than a confession.
"Jordan."
He looked away.
"Dad said you would be difficult."
I felt something inside me go cold.
"So you knew I hadn't agreed."
He didn't answer.
Daniel stepped forward.
"Jordan, you should understand that any statements you make may become relevant to a legal investigation."
Jordan's face changed.
"Investigation?"
"Yes."
My brother looked suddenly younger.
"Dad said this was normal business paperwork."
"Then you should get independent legal advice," Daniel said.
Jordan turned back to me.
"You're seriously going to get Dad arrested?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"He used my name to borrow eight hundred thousand dollars!"
Jordan flinched.
"Eight hundred thousand?"
I stared at him.
"You didn't know?"
His eyes widened.
"Dad told me it was two hundred thousand."
Silence filled the room.
Then Jordan whispered something I would never forget.
"He said he needed the money before Friday."
Daniel immediately leaned forward.
"Why Friday?"
Jordan swallowed.
"Because the people he owes are coming."
I felt my stomach drop.
"What people?"
My brother glanced at the door.
Then his voice became a whisper.
"The investors from Atlanta."
I looked at Daniel.
He was already taking notes.
Jordan shook his head.
"You don't understand. Dad lost a lot of money."
"How much?"
Jordan's eyes filled with tears.
"More than he told Mom."
I gripped the edge of the table.
"Jordan, tell me."
He looked directly at me.
"Two million dollars."
The room went silent.
May you like
Then he added the words that made my blood run cold.
"And he told them your company would pay it back."
