Chapter 4: The Account With My Name
“Naomi, there's something about your mother's inheritance you still don't know.””
Damon's words cut through the room.
I stared at him, waiting for an explanation.
He looked exhausted now. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his hair disheveled, and the confidence he had worn like armor was beginning to disappear.
But I wasn't interested in his appearance.
I wanted answers.
“What did you do with my mother's inheritance?”” I asked.
Damon glanced at Richard.
“Can we discuss this privately?””
“No,” I replied.
“You made a spectacle of humiliating me in front of your mistress. You can explain yourself in front of everyone.””
Savannah shifted in her chair.
Damon rubbed his jaw.
“Three years ago, when we were preparing for the Westbridge acquisition, I discovered something in the financial records.””
“What?””
“An account connected to your mother's estate.””
My father immediately stiffened.
“Which account?””
Damon hesitated.
“A dormant investment account. It had been established years earlier, but no one was actively managing it.””
Jonathan opened his laptop.
“That's impossible. The estate accounts have been independently managed.””
Damon gave a bitter laugh.
“Not all of them.””
My father stepped forward.
“Be very careful with your next words.””
Damon looked at me.
“Your mother left behind an investment portfolio. It was worth considerably more than anyone told you.””
I frowned.
“How much?””
“About seventy-two million dollars when I first discovered it.””
The room went silent.
I looked at my father.
He didn't deny it.
“Dad?””
Richard exhaled slowly.
“Your mother had several private investments. Some were managed separately from the main family trust.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because they were placed under legal protection until certain conditions were fulfilled.””
Damon interrupted.
“And I found a way to access them.””
Jonathan's fingers stopped moving.
“Did you say access?””
Damon swallowed.
“I didn't steal anything.””
“Then explain the account bearing Naomi's name,” Jonathan said.
Damon walked toward the window.
“The account was established using her identity. The funds were moved there temporarily.””
I stared at him.
“You used my name?””
“It was supposed to be temporary.””
“You opened a financial account in my name without telling me?””
“I was protecting the assets.””
“From whom?””
He turned around.
“From people who would have taken advantage of you.””
I laughed.
It was a strange sound, almost unfamiliar.
“You mean you were protecting my money from everyone except yourself?””
His expression hardened.
“Don't twist my words.””
Jonathan stepped between us.
“Mr. Whitmore, did you have Naomi sign any authorization documents?””
“No.””
“Did you obtain her written consent?””
Damon didn't answer.
“Did you use her personal identification information to establish the account?””
Silence.
Jonathan closed his laptop.
“That's a serious matter.””
Savannah suddenly stood.
“Damon, you told me the money was yours.””
He looked at her sharply.
“Sit down.””
“No. You told me you were using company investments. You said Naomi had signed everything.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew about the account?””
Savannah's eyes filled with tears.
“I knew about an account. I didn't know it was in your name.””
“How convenient.””
She shook her head.
“I'm telling the truth.””
Damon stepped toward her.
“Savannah, I swear to God—”
“Don't threaten me!”” she shouted.
“You promised me we were going to leave together. You said everything was already handled.””
Richard looked at Jonathan.
“Document every statement.””
Jonathan nodded.
I turned back to Damon.
“How much money is still in that account?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I don't know.””
“You don't know?””
“The account was part of a larger investment structure.””
“Then who does know?””
Damon glanced at Savannah.
She immediately looked away.
My stomach tightened.
“Savannah?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“There was another transfer.””
“What transfer?””
“I don't know the exact amount.””
“Tell me what you know.””
She hesitated before speaking.
“About six weeks ago, Damon moved a large amount into a private investment fund. He said it was insurance in case the company went through financial trouble.””
Jonathan leaned forward.
“Do you know the fund's name?””
Savannah nodded.
“Northbridge Capital.””
My father exchanged a look with Jonathan.
“What?”” I asked.
Jonathan opened a search window.
“Northbridge Capital is a private investment vehicle. It has appeared in several of our preliminary transaction reviews.””
“Who owns it?””
“That's what we're trying to establish.””
Damon laughed nervously.
“You're wasting your time. Those investments are perfectly legitimate.””
Jonathan turned his laptop around.
A document appeared on the screen.
“Then you'll have no objection to explaining this.””
It was a wire transfer.
The amount was $12.8 million.
The originating account belonged to the estate structure.
The receiving account belonged to Northbridge Capital.
And beneath the transaction details was an authorization signature.
Naomi Whitmore.
My name.
But the signature wasn't mine.
I leaned closer.
“That isn't my handwriting.””
Jonathan enlarged the document.
“It's a digital authorization record.””
“I never approved that transfer.””
Damon's face became expressionless.
“Naomi, you might have forgotten.””
“I didn't.””
“You were under a lot of stress at the time.””
“I was attending my mother's memorial service.””
The room fell silent.
I remembered that week.
I remembered sitting in the chapel, holding my father's hand while rain tapped against the stained-glass windows.
Damon had been beside me.
He had promised my mother would always be part of our lives.
He had kissed my forehead beside her coffin.
And apparently, while I was mourning her, he had been moving her money.
I turned toward him.
“You used my mother's funeral week to steal from her estate?””
“I didn't steal anything!””
“Then why is there a signature I never made?””
He opened his mouth.
No answer came.
My father approached the table.
“Jonathan, I want the original authorization records preserved. Every device, every login, every transfer.””
“Understood.””
Richard turned toward Damon.
“You've just made this considerably worse.””
Damon shook his head.
“You can't prove I did anything.””
Jonathan calmly closed his laptop.
“We don't need to argue about proof in this room. The forensic review will establish what happened.””
Damon looked at me.
“Naomi, please. We can work this out.””
I stared at him.
“You had your chance.””
He reached for my hand.
I pulled away.
Then my father's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
“Yes?””
A man's voice came through the speaker.
Richard listened without speaking.
His expression grew darker with every passing second.
Finally, he said, “Don't touch anything. I'm coming.””
He ended the call.
“What happened?”” I asked.
“The bank has frozen the account temporarily.””
I exhaled.
“Good.””
“But there's a problem.””
“What problem?””
Richard looked directly at me.
“The account wasn't simply opened in your name.””
He paused.
“Someone used your identity to designate you as the guarantor for a separate loan.””
My stomach dropped.
“How much?””
Jonathan checked his notes.
“Twenty-six million dollars.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
Damon stared at the floor.
And suddenly, I understood why he had been so eager to get rid of me.
He hadn't just wanted a new wife.
He had needed me out of his life before anyone discovered what he had done.
My father pulled out his phone.
“Naomi, we're leaving.””
Damon stepped forward.
“Richard, wait.””
My father turned.
“Don't.””
“You can't take her anywhere until we settle this.””
I looked at Damon.
“You don't get to decide where I go anymore.””
He lowered his voice.
“If you leave tonight, you'll never understand what your mother really left behind.””
I stopped.
“What does that mean?””
Damon looked at me.
Then he delivered the sentence that changed everything.
“Your mother didn't leave you seventy-two million dollars, Naomi.””
May you like
He swallowed.
“She left you an empire. And I think someone else has been trying to steal it long before I ever met you.””
