Chapter 5 - Freeze Everything
The request was for four hundred thousand dollars.
Ryan had initiated it from the county detention facility through instructions sent to a business manager.
I did not know whether to be impressed by his arrogance or terrified by how long he had been planning around me.
Evan Cole explained that the transfer had triggered a fraud review because the destination account had recently changed.
“Do not approve anything,” I said.
“We already placed a temporary hold.”
“Place a fraud alert on every account connected to my name.”
Maya took the phone.
Within twenty minutes, we had fraud departments involved at three institutions.
By ten o’clock, the hospitality company’s primary operating account was frozen.
The mountain property financing was flagged.
Two business credit cards were suspended.
A luxury SUV registered to Grant’s company was suddenly sitting on borrowed money with nowhere to draw payment from.
Then came the personal discoveries.
Diane’s monthly “household help.”
Nine thousand dollars.
Brooke’s “marketing consulting.”
Twelve thousand a month.
Grant’s expense reimbursements.
Anywhere from fifteen to thirty thousand.
Ryan had transferred all of it from the business account.
And that account existed because someone had forged my guarantee.
Maya looked at me carefully.
“You understand what this means.”
“They weren’t depending on Ryan.”
“No.”
“They were depending on me without telling me.”
“Yes.”
I sat very still.
Three years of hearing Diane call me selfish.
Three years of Grant lecturing me about wives supporting husbands.
Three years of Brooke joking that my career made me “aggressive.”
They had been feeding themselves with my money while resenting me for earning it.
At eleven fourteen, building security called.
Diane was downstairs.
With Brooke.
And a locksmith.
I opened the security feed.
Diane stood in the lobby wearing sunglasses and yesterday’s clothes.
Brooke was beside her.
The locksmith looked uncomfortable.
Diane pointed toward the elevator while speaking sharply to the concierge.
I pressed the intercom button.
“Diane.”
She looked toward the ceiling camera.
“You cannot keep Ryan’s mother from retrieving family property.”
“What property?”
“Everything upstairs belongs to my son.”
I looked around my living room.
Interesting theory.
“Send me an itemized list through my attorney.”
She leaned toward the camera.
“You vindictive little—”
Brooke grabbed her arm.
“Mom.”
Diane pushed her away.
“You think one bad night erases three years of marriage?”
“No.”
“One bad night revealed three years of marriage.”
Then I ended the connection.
Maya’s phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
Then looked at me.
“Grant made bail.”
I felt nothing.
“Ryan?”
“Still being processed.”
Then Maya’s expression hardened.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Grant’s attorney just filed an emergency petition claiming Ryan has an equitable ownership interest in the penthouse.”
I stared at her.
“He’s trying to take my home?”
Maya closed her laptop.
“No.”
“He’s trying to create enough confusion to get back inside.”
May you like
She paused.
“And according to the filing, they have a document supposedly signed by you.”
