Chapter 9 - Patricia Learns the Price
Patricia went to Andrew's office the next morning.
I wasn't there.
But Mark was.
Later, he told me what happened.
She entered carrying the investment agreement.
Andrew's receptionist tried to stop her.
Patricia walked past.
Andrew was in a meeting with two investors.
She opened the conference room door and threw the agreement onto the table.
“What did you do with my money?”
Apparently, Andrew went completely still.
One of the investors excused himself.
The other did not.
That mattered.
“Mom.”
“Don't Mom me.”
“I can explain.”
“Then explain.”
Andrew asked Mark to leave.
Mark refused.
Patricia pointed at the document.
“You told me I owned ten percent.”
“You do.”
“Of what?”
“AV Mexico Hospitality.”
“What does it own?”
Andrew hesitated.
That was enough.
Patricia's face changed.
“What does it own?”
“The structure changed.”
“What does it own?”
“Mom.”
“Answer me.”
According to Mark, Andrew finally admitted the entity did not directly own the resort interest.
Patricia asked where her money went.
Andrew said it was used for project-related expenses.
Mark asked which expenses.
Andrew became angry.
The argument lasted forty minutes.
Then Patricia did something I never expected.
She slapped Andrew.
I wasn't pleased when Mark told me.
I wasn't surprised either.
Patricia had always believed authority justified cruelty.
It was predictable that eventually even her favorite son would become a target.
Andrew called me afterward.
I answered because Naomi was on the line.
It was our first three-way call.
“You poisoned my mother against me.”
His opening sentence was exactly what I expected.
Naomi interrupted.
“Andrew, this call concerns parenting logistics.”
“I don't care.”
“Then we can terminate it.”
“No.”
He took a breath.
“Lauren told Mark about the Mexico entity.”
“I did not.”
“Somebody did.”
“An audit did.”
“You caused the audit.”
“No.”
“Your company started asking questions.”
“After you used its name without authorization.”
“You are unbelievable.”
Naomi spoke.
“Andrew, unless you want this call documented as unrelated to parenting, I suggest we return to the purpose.”
He muttered something.
Then he said, “I want the girls this weekend.”
I looked at Naomi's small video window.
She nodded slightly.
“All day Saturday.”
“Overnight.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you've canceled one visit and spent the other questioning Sophia about me.”
“I asked my daughter a question.”
“She felt pressured.”
“That came from you.”
“It came from her.”
“You're coaching her.”
“No.”
“You're poisoning them against me just like you're poisoning everybody.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
Naomi intervened.
“Andrew.”
“What?”
“If you continue accusing Lauren of parental misconduct without evidence, we can address that formally.”
Silence.
“Saturday.”
I said.
“Ten to six.”
He exhaled.
“Fine.”
Then his voice softened.
“Can we talk alone?”
“No.”
“Lauren.”
“No.”
“I need to ask you something.”
“Ask.”
“Not with a lawyer listening.”
“Then ask your own lawyer first.”
He was quiet.
Finally, he said, “Did you know about Mom's money?”
“Not until Mark mentioned the documents.”
“Do you believe me?”
“What?”
“That I intended to repay her.”
My eyes closed.
“Andrew, this is exactly the problem.”
“What?”
“You're asking whether I believe your intention instead of addressing what you did.”
“I was going to fix it.”
“When?”
“When the property sold.”
“And if it didn't?”
“It will.”
“That's not an answer.”
He became frustrated.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand leverage extremely well.”
“Then you know how temporary cash gaps work.”
“I also know the difference between bridge financing and selling your mother ownership in an entity that owns nothing.”
Silence.
“I didn't steal from her.”
“I didn't say you did.”
“You implied it.”
“No.”
I spoke slowly.
“I said you need a lawyer.”
The line went quiet.
Then Andrew asked, “Would Horizon buy me out?”
“Of what?”
“My development company.”
“You need to contact the acquisitions team.”
“You are the acquisitions team.”
“No.”
“Lauren.”
“I am not discussing a transaction involving your company.”
“I need liquidity.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because you owe Horizon money.”
He cursed softly.
“What happens if I can't pay the note?”
“You've read it.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Tell me what you're going to do.”
“I am not the committee.”
“You control the committee.”
“I do not.”
“You appointed them.”
“Our board did.”
“You own the board.”
“That isn't how boards work.”
He laughed bitterly.
“It is when you own fifty-eight percent.”
I looked at Naomi.
Her expression was unreadable.
“Andrew.”
I said.
“If you want to save your company, stop spending energy trying to make me responsible for it.”
He went silent.
“Call your creditors.”
“Tell your investors the truth.”
“Sell assets you actually own.”
“Reduce expenses.”
“Negotiate.”
“Do the work.”
“I've been doing the work for fifteen years.”
“No.”
My voice softened.
“You've been doing some of it.”
“And every time the rest became too heavy, somebody quietly carried it for you.”
He understood.
“You.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I thought protecting your confidence protected our marriage.”
“And now?”
“Now I think it protected your worst habits.”
He said nothing.
The call ended two minutes later.
Saturday arrived.
Andrew took the girls to lunch and then to a park.
When he returned, Chloe ran inside.
Sophia lingered beside him.
I watched from the doorway.
Andrew crouched in front of her.
He said something I couldn't hear.
Sophia shook her head.
Andrew nodded.
Then she hugged him.
For a moment, hope moved through me.
Not for the marriage.
That had passed.
For him.
For their relationship.
When Sophia came inside, I asked nothing.
She told me anyway.
“Daddy said sorry.”
I waited.
“He said he should have stood up for us.”
My throat tightened.
“What did you say?”
“I told him yes.”
I almost laughed.
“Anything else?”
“I told him Grandma's rule is stupid.”
“What did he say?”
“He said yeah.”
That night, Andrew sent me a message through the parenting app.
SOPHIA MADE SOMETHING CLEAR TODAY.
I SHOULD HAVE DEFENDED THEM.
I'M SORRY.
I stared at the words for a long time.
Then another message arrived.
I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO FIX THE BUSINESS.
I'M TRYING.
It was the first sentence he had written since the dinner that did not blame me.
I wanted to believe it meant everything would change.
Life rarely turns that cleanly.
Because the following Monday, five days before the note matured, the outside audit found a transfer nobody could explain.
Six hundred thousand dollars had left one investor-funded project.
Three hundred eighty thousand appeared in another Andrew-controlled entity.
Two hundred twenty thousand disappeared through payments labeled “consulting.”
The consultant was a company registered to Patricia's nephew.
And suddenly, the question was no longer whether Andrew could repay one promissory note.
May you like
The question was whether the entire story he had built was about to collapse.
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