Chapter 4 - Her Father’s Name
Claire stood so quickly her chair hit the floor.
“That account pays for my father’s rehabilitation.”
Adrian looked at the screen.
“Who controls it?”
“My mother and me.”
“Does Raymond know that?”
“He shouldn’t.”
“Victor does?”
Claire’s stomach twisted.
“He had access to my personal file when I worked at Halden Mercer.”
Adrian grabbed his phone.
“Freeze outgoing payments from every Raymond-approved account.”
Claire caught his wrist.
“Wait.”
He looked down at her hand.
She released him immediately.
“If you freeze everything, they’ll know we found the pattern.”
“They already know.”
“No. They know I’m looking. That’s different.”
Adrian stared at her for two seconds.
Then lowered the phone.
“What do you suggest?”
“Let this payment move.”
His eyes hardened.
“To your father?”
“It won’t reach him.”
“How do you know?”
Claire pulled up the routing number.
“My father’s trust is at First Midwestern. This routing number belongs to a credit union in Nevada.”
Adrian swore under his breath.
“Same account name. Different bank.”
“Exactly.”
“A trap.”
Claire nodded.
“Or a message.”
Her phone rang.
MOM.
Claire answered.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Claire, did you send money?”
Her heart stopped.
“What?”
“Your father’s care center called. They said someone paid the next six months.”
Claire turned toward Adrian.
“How much?”
“Two hundred fifty thousand dollars.”
That did not make sense.
Claire looked back at the fake transfer.
Same amount.
Two separate transfers.
One fake.
One real.
Somebody had paid her father’s bills while simultaneously making it look like Claire’s family trust was receiving stolen money.
Victor was not just stealing.
He was building evidence.
Against her.
Adrian understood before she explained.
“He’s framing you.”
“Yes.”
“Can he make it stick?”
“If enough paperwork matches.”
Adrian’s phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A man’s voice said, “You should have left the waitress alone.”
Claire knew the voice instantly.
Victor Sloan.
Adrian put the call on speaker.
Victor continued.
“Claire has a history of manufacturing fraud where none exists. You’re making a mistake letting her near your accounts.”
Claire stepped closer.
“Hi, Victor.”
Silence.
Then a soft laugh.
“Well. There she is.”
“You paid my father’s care bill.”
“I’m a generous man.”
“You copied my trust name.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You always did hate direct questions.”
Victor’s voice lost its warmth.
“You should walk away, Claire.”
“From what?”
“From Adrian Vale.”
Adrian’s expression did not change.
Claire said, “Why?”
May you like
Victor replied, “Because the last accountant who tried to audit him disappeared.”
Then the line went dead.
