“Your sister is under enormous pressure.
The invitations have gone out.
Think about what canceling this will do to her.”
I almost admired the instinct.
Even with evidence of fraud spread across the desk, she could still find a way to make Elise the injured party.
“What did taking the fund do to me?” I asked.
“You have a business.”
“I had a future before I had a business.”
“You can still go to school later.”
“That is what you told me at eighteen.”
Mom’s expression hardened.
“We needed you then.”
“No.
You used me then.”
The words left my mouth calmly.
I had imagined saying them with fury for years, but the truth did not require shouting.
Daniel muted the office audio for a moment and called me directly.
“The transfer has not completed,” he said.
“The trust company caught the beneficiary change during its fraud review.
The funds are in temporary escrow.”
