Chapter 4 - The Missing Money
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Brooke turned her cold, gray eyes toward Lorraine.
“I managed this household,” Brooke said, her tone dripping with quiet condescension. “I managed your son’s fragile ego. That is a full-time job, Lorraine.”
I stepped smoothly between my wife and my daughter-in-law, cutting off Brooke’s line of sight.
“The $410,000 refinance,” I said, bringing the conversation back to the foundation. “A title company does not prepare refinance documents on a home owned by an LLC unless there is an immediate plan to liquidate equity. Why did you need nearly half a million dollars in cash by next Friday, Brooke?”
The room grew so quiet I could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Brooke stared at me, her jaw set perfectly tight. She offered nothing.
“Mason,” I said, not taking my eyes off Brooke. “What has your wife been spending money on?”
Mason rubbed the back of his neck, his posture curling inward, carrying the heavy shame of a man realizing he had been played for a fool.
“She said she was investing,” Mason murmured. “In a boutique fitness franchise. She needed capital to secure the commercial leases downtown. She told me her parents were matching our contributions.”
I let out a slow, deliberate breath.
“Her parents declared bankruptcy four years ago, Mason,” I stated.
Mason’s head snapped up. “What?”
“I ran a background check before the wedding,” I admitted, my voice perfectly level. “Her father lost his dental practice to unpaid taxes. Her mother’s assets were liquidated. I didn't say anything because you loved her, and I believed a child should not be punished for their parents' financial ruin. But there is no matching capital.”
Brooke’s eyes flashed with a sudden, dark fury. It was the first time she had lost control of her micro-expressions.
“You investigated my family?” she hissed, stepping forward.
“I inspect the foundation before I let my son build a house on it,” I replied coldly. “You don't have a fitness franchise, Brooke. So I will ask you one more time. Where is the money going?”
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She looked at me, then at Mason. A slow, chilling smile touched the corners of her mouth.
“You think you know everything,” she whispered. “But you have absolutely no idea who you are dealing with.”
