Part 2: The Money Trail
Ryan's hands remained planted on the polished conference table.
"What the hell did you just say?"
His voice exploded through the room, startling even Noah, who stirred softly against my chest before settling back to sleep.
The gray-haired attorney never flinched.
Instead, he calmly placed his stack of files in front of the chairwoman of Carter Innovations' audit committee.
"I said," he repeated evenly, "that there is substantial evidence suggesting company assets were diverted through a series of shell vendors before being transferred into accounts associated with Ms. Ashley Brooks."
The room fell into a silence so complete that I could hear the air conditioning humming overhead.
Ryan let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"This is insane."
He looked around the table, searching for someone to laugh with him.
No one did.
Ashley shifted uneasily.
"This is ridiculous," she said. "I've never touched company money."
"No?" the attorney asked.
He opened the first folder.
"Then perhaps you can explain why a marketing company called Blue Horizon Consulting billed Carter Innovations nearly four million dollars over eighteen months."
Ashley blinked.
"I... I'm a consultant."
"Exactly."
"And according to state records, Blue Horizon Consulting was incorporated by your younger brother."
She swallowed.
The attorney continued.
"The mailing address listed for the company was your apartment."
Another document landed on the table.
"The bank account receiving payment listed you as an authorized signer."
Ryan finally spoke.
"This is standard business practice."
"Our legal department approved every vendor."
The company's financial auditor slowly turned toward him.
"No."
"We didn't."
Ryan's expression hardened.
"What?"
The auditor adjusted his glasses.
"Those invoices bypassed our approval process."
"They were manually authorized."
He looked directly at Ryan.
"By the CEO."
For the first time since I had entered the room, Ryan looked genuinely nervous.
He straightened his tie.
"You're misunderstanding the accounting structure."
"No," the auditor replied.
"I understand it perfectly."
He opened another binder.
"Someone created emergency payment authorizations after business hours."
"The electronic signature belonged to you."
Ryan immediately pointed at me.
"Megan handled accounting for years."
"She had access."
Several heads turned toward me.
I wasn't surprised.
Ryan always blamed someone else.
Always.
I calmly reached into my folder.
"I expected that."
I slid another document across the table.
"My resignation from all financial systems."
"It was filed nine months ago."
Another page followed.
"My security credentials were permanently revoked forty-three minutes later."
The auditor nodded.
"Confirmed."
Ryan's jaw tightened.
I continued.
"I haven't had access to company financial systems for over nine months."
His attorney quickly interrupted.
"Even if that's true, none of this proves fraud."
The gray-haired attorney smiled faintly.
"You're right."
"It doesn't."
He reached for the final envelope.
"This does."
He removed a thick packet labeled Federal Financial Crimes Analysis.
Every eye fixed on it.
Ashley whispered, "Ryan..."
He didn't answer.
The attorney slid several photographs across the table.
Luxury vacations.
Private jets.
Jewelry.
Designer handbags.
A beach house in Florida.
None of it matched Ashley's reported income.
The attorney spoke calmly.
"Ms. Brooks reported annual earnings of ninety-eight thousand dollars."
He pointed to the photographs.
"Yet over the last sixteen months, she acquired assets exceeding six million dollars."
Ashley looked as though she might faint.
Ryan stood abruptly.
"This meeting is over."
"No," said the chairwoman.
"It isn't."
Her voice carried the authority of someone accustomed to making billion-dollar decisions.
She folded her hands.
"I have one question."
She looked directly at Ryan.
"Did you authorize payments to Blue Horizon Consulting?"
Ryan hesitated.
Only for a second.
But everyone noticed.
"Yes."
The room remained silent.
He quickly added, "Because they provided strategic consulting."
The chairwoman nodded slowly.
"Can you describe the work they performed?"
Ryan opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Ashley suddenly leaned forward.
"They organized client outreach."
The auditor flipped through another binder.
"Interesting."
He looked at Ashley.
"Could you name a single client they contacted?"
Ashley froze.
"I..."
The silence answered for her.
Ryan's attorney attempted to regain control.
"My client isn't required to answer operational questions during a divorce proceeding."
"True," the gray-haired attorney replied.
"But this stopped being only a divorce proceeding."
He slid another letter across the table.
"This morning, before this meeting began..."
"...the Board of Directors voted unanimously to begin an internal investigation into executive misconduct."
Ryan stared.
"What?"
The chairwoman nodded.
"The vote was eight to zero."
"You've been placed on temporary administrative leave pending the investigation."
Color drained from Ryan's face.
"You can't do that."
"We just did."
He looked around desperately.
"You don't have enough evidence."
I finally spoke.
"Actually..."
"I think they do."
Ryan slowly turned toward me.
His eyes burned with anger.
"You planned this."
"I prepared for this."
"Same difference."
He laughed bitterly.
"You really think this is enough to destroy me?"
I met his stare without blinking.
"No."
"I think what comes next will."
Confusion spread across his face.
"What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, I reached into Noah's diaper bag.
Ashley frowned.
Ryan actually smirked.
"What now?"
"A baby toy?"
I pulled out a small digital voice recorder.
Ryan's smile disappeared.
"I almost forgot about this."
I placed it gently on the table.
"It was inside your car."
Ryan frowned.
"What?"
"The day I went into labor."
Ashley suddenly grabbed Ryan's arm.
Hard.
Too hard.
He looked at her.
She looked terrified.
The attorney picked up the recorder.
"What is this?"
"I wasn't looking for it," I explained.
"I was searching for our insurance documents."
"It had fallen beneath the passenger seat."
Ryan's breathing became noticeably faster.
"You had no right—"
"I didn't even know it existed."
The attorney pressed the play button.
Static filled the room.
Then...
Ryan's voice.
Crystal clear.
"I can't wait much longer."
Ashley laughed.
"You won't have to."
Ryan chuckled.
"Once the divorce is done, Megan gets the house."
"I keep the company."
Ashley asked quietly, "And the baby?"
Ryan answered without hesitation.
"I don't want the kid."
The room went completely still.
My fingers tightened around Noah's blanket.
The recording continued.
Ashley spoke again.
"What if she fights you?"
Ryan laughed.
"She won't."
"She's too emotional."
"Besides..."
There was the sound of ice clinking inside a glass.
Then Ryan's voice dropped lower.
"If she ever discovers the missing money..."
"...everyone will think postpartum depression made her paranoid."
Ashley laughed.
A long...
Satisfied...
Cruel laugh.
Then Ryan added one final sentence.
The sentence that made every single person around the table stare at him in horror.
May you like
"If necessary..."
"...I'll let my own wife take the blame."
