I warned Richard that leaving his laptop unattended during a party full of corporate sharks was a bad idea. But your father never listens.’ I stared at him, my judicial instincts, instantly sensing a severe deviation from normal behavior. You are looking at a commercial bridge loan for $500,000, I stated, keeping my tone perfectly level.
My parents forged my signature to steal from your father private equity firm. They used your family money to pay for this engagement party. Terrence chuckled softly. He leaned against the edge of the massive desk, crossing his ankles. I know exactly what that document is, Caroline. I know the origination date.
I know the exact interest rate. I even know the roing number of the offshore account where the funds were deposited. He tilted his glass toward me in a mocking toast because I am the one who personally approved the transfer. The air in the library suddenly felt thick and unbreathable. The pieces of the puzzle shifted, forming a picture far more sinister than simple parental greed.
Terrence was not a victim. He was a co-conspirator. You approved a fraudulent loan, I said, narrowing my eyes. You are the director of investment for Jefferson Global Holdings. You know the federal compliance regulations. You saw a forged signature on a lending document and you pushed it through underwriting anyway.
Oh, I did not just push it through. Terrence corrected a wicked gleam in his dark eyes. I orchestrated it. Richard came to me two months ago practically crying on his knees. His logistics company was bleeding cash. He was terrified of losing the house, terrified of losing face in front of my parents. He begged me for a personal bailout.
I told him, ‘I do not do charity, but I do make strategic investments. So, you taught him how to commit identity theft. I deduced the sheer brazeness of his corruption making my blood run cold.’ He was handing me a verbal confession to a masterclass in criminal conspiracy. I simply pointed out that while his credit was garbage, his eldest daughter had a pristine financial record.
Terrence smiled entirely unbothered by his admission of a felony. I told him if he could produce the right paperwork. I would make sure the compliance department at Pinnacle Horizon looked the other way. It was incredibly easy. My father trusts my judgment and the underwriters do not question a direct order from the heir to the company.
