“You really want your business associated with family scandals?”
Ethan slowly looked up.
“I’d rather survive one scandal…”
“…than spend the rest of my life married to a lie.”
Vanessa abruptly stood.
“I loved you!”
“No.”
His voice broke.
“You loved what you thought you could take from me.”
She stepped toward him.
Margaret immediately moved between them.
“We’re not finished.”
She opened the blue investigation folder.
Inside were financial statements.
Corporate records.
Property transfers.
Emails.
Bank documents.
Photographs.
Weeks of investigative work.
“And unfortunately…”
Margaret continued,
“…the engagement isn’t the biggest problem anymore.”
Vanessa stared at her.
“What do you mean?”
She removed another file.
“Vanessa Mitchell personally guaranteed two commercial loans connected to a company called Summit Legacy Holdings.”
“On paper, it’s a real estate consulting firm.”
“In reality…”
“It functioned primarily as a vehicle to move money between shell corporations controlled by George Mitchell.”
George’s expression darkened.
Patricia appeared ready to faint.
Margaret continued.
“Patricia Mitchell received monthly consulting fees despite performing no documented work.”
“The company currently owes creditors nearly nine million dollars.”
She turned another page.
“Three weeks ago…”
“Mr. Mitchell submitted a letter of financial intent to a commercial bank.”
“The document claimed Ethan Carter and Carter Development Group would become financial guarantors immediately after the wedding.”
Ethan looked at Vanessa.
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
“…You used my name?”
She stared at the table.
“I…”
“…didn’t know everything.”
He repeated the question.
“You used my name?”
George answered instead.
“It wasn’t finalized.”
“It was only a business projection.”
The public notary quietly opened another folder.
“Business projections don’t include forged electronic signatures.”
The room froze.
Ethan grabbed the document.
I watched him scan the pages.
Then…
He stopped.
His own signature stared back at him.
Perfectly replicated.
Except…
He had never signed it.
He slowly looked at Vanessa.
“Tell me…”
His voice trembled.
“…tell me you didn’t know.”
She couldn’t.
Silence answered him.
Patricia suddenly exploded.
“This is Teresa’s fault!”
“If she’d stayed out of our lives…”
“The wedding would’ve happened…”
“And everyone would’ve been happy!”
I looked at her with something I never expected to feel.
Not anger.
Pity.
Because in her mind…
The real tragedy wasn’t the lies.
Or the fraud.
Or the humiliation.
The tragedy was getting caught.
