Chapter 6 - The Missing Millions And The Stolen Account
While Vesper coordinated with the legal team, I dove deeper into the financial records of my corporate development account. What started as the discovery of a single fifty-thousand-dollar charge quickly unraveled into a staggering web of financial exploitation that spanned nearly three years.
As I sifted through old bank statements, automated alerts, and forgotten transfer logs, I realized that the wedding venue deposit was merely the tip of the iceberg. Over the past thirty-six months, my parents had systematically drained over two hundred thousand dollars from my business reserves without my knowledge. They had used my corporate credit lines to finance Sutton's lavish bridal showers, designer engagement dresses, luxury European vacations, and even my father's private club memberships—all while guilt-tripping me for occasionally asking for help with my own basic medical expenses.
Every time I had struggled to pay my rent, every time I had skipped a meal to afford my father's heart medication, they had been siphoning the very funds I was sacrificing my health to earn, funneling them directly into Sutton's bottomless pit of entitlement.
The screen glowed brightly in the dim apartment, displaying a cumulative total of $214,850 in unauthorized withdrawals.
My chest tightened, not with sorrow, but with a cold, burning fury. They hadn't just viewed me as an ATM; they had actively treated my life, my career, and my physical safety as collateral damage to fund Sutton's illusion of perfection.
My phone buzzed on the table. It wasn't Althia or Stellin this time. It was an incoming call from an unknown local number.
I hesitated for a second before pressing accept and putting it on speaker.
"Fallon?" a familiar, strained voice asked from the other end. It was Alden.
"I'm here, Alden," I replied evenly.
There was a heavy pause filled with static and deep, ragged breathing. "I... I need to apologize to you. I saw what Sutton did on the stairs last night. I saw the whole thing from the landing above, and I heard what she said. I tried to run down to help you, but your parents practically physically blocked me, telling me it was just a family misunderstanding."
"You don't need to apologize to me, Alden," I said softly. "You weren't the one pushing me down marble stairs."
"I walked out last night," Alden continued, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and humiliation. "I spent the entire night at a hotel downtown, turning my phone off. My parents are furious, the wedding guests are arriving in a few hours, and Sutton is throwing a screaming tantrum in her bridal suite because she thinks I've abandoned her."
"You did abandon her," I pointed out bluntly. "Or rather, you're finally seeing her for who she really is."
"Your father called me ten minutes ago," Alden said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "He threatened to ruin my professional reputation in corporate law if I don't show up at the altar today and play the happy groom. He said they've already spent over half a million dollars on this wedding, and nobody is going to embarrass the family."
A dark, victorious smile touched the corners of my mouth.
"Alden, don't let them bully you for one more second," I said firmly. "Look at your phone. Vesper just sent you a secure link. Open it."
A few seconds of silence passed, punctuated only by the soft click of data loading. Then, Alden drew a sharp, audible breath.
"My God," he whispered, staring at the financial records and the high-definition video of the assault. "They... they used your business funds to pay for the venue. And the video... Fallon, this is completely unhinged."
"It's not just unhinged, Alden. It's criminal," I replied. "And by 2:00 P.M. today, that video and those financial records are going live to every news outlet in the state, alongside an official police investigation into wire fraud and assault."
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Another long pause stretched across the line. When Alden finally spoke again, all the hesitation had vanished from his voice, replaced by cold, resolute clarity.
"Tell me what you need me to do, Fallon. I'm done being part of their lies."
