CHAPTER 4 — THE FAMILY BUSINESS
Daniel insisted the laptop had been stolen from his office.
No one believed him.
The police took him to the station for questioning, though they did not arrest him that night. My father arranged for Sofia and me to stay at a private medical residence while detectives processed the house.
At four in the morning, I sat beside Sofia’s bed and watched her sleep.
Every few minutes, she twitched.
Once, she whispered, “Don’t hit Mommy,” without opening her eyes.
I went into the bathroom and cried where she could not hear me.
When I returned, my father was standing in the doorway.
He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. For the first time in years, I noticed how much older he had become.
“You should rest,” he said.
“I trusted him.”
“Yes.”
“I brought Sofia into that family.”
“You could not have predicted this.”
“I ignored things.”
That was the truth I could not escape.
Margaret had constantly asked about Sofia’s savings.
Travis joked that children did not need “hundreds of thousands sitting around.”
Daniel began suggesting we invest the trust in the family company. Each time I refused, he accused me of distrusting him.
I thought those were ordinary marital arguments.
Now they looked like preparation.
My father placed another file on the table.
“The Hale construction company has been falsifying financial reports.”
“How do you know?”
“They applied for financing from one of my subsidiaries six months ago.”
I stared at him.
“Your company?”
“They did not know I controlled it.”
The application had been rejected after auditors discovered missing funds and inflated property values.
Daniel had signed the application.
So had Margaret and Travis.
“They needed collateral,” my father said. “They attempted to use Sofia’s trust.”
“Her account cannot be used as collateral.”
“Not legally.”
A copy of another document showed my signature beneath a guarantee worth four million dollars.
It was also forged.
Daniel had lied when he said our home was safe. He had used our house to support one of the company’s loans. If the business failed, the bank could take it.
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.
“How long have you known?”
“My staff found these records tonight.”
“You had my finances monitored?”
“No. Your call gave me a reason to investigate.”
I wanted to be angry with him, but I had no strength left.
A nurse entered and handed me a plastic evidence bag recovered from Sofia’s coat.
Inside was a small tablet.
“Sofia said you should watch the last video,” the nurse explained.
I turned it on.
The screen showed our living room two days before Christmas. Sofia had apparently left the tablet recording while making a holiday video.
Daniel stood near the fireplace with Margaret and Travis.
Their voices were clear.
“You said Elena would sign,” Travis snapped.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“She will when she realizes she has no choice.”
Margaret responded, “And if she still refuses?”
Daniel looked toward the hallway.
May you like
Then he said the sentence that ended our marriage.
“Scare her. Just don’t leave anything the police can use.”
