Chapter 4 - THE PAPER TRAIL OF BETRAYAL
I spent the afternoon in Martin’s office,
surrounded by years of financial history.
We weren't just looking at the withdrawal of the five hundred million.
We were looking for the rot.
"He's been funneling money,
Emma,"
Martin said,
tossing a folder onto the desk.
"It started three years ago."
"Small amounts at first."
"Travel expenses that didn't match the company itinerary."
"Consulting fees paid to a shell company in the Caymans."
I opened the folder,
my heart hardening with every page I turned.
I found receipts for a penthouse in the city I had never visited.
I found invoices for jewelry,
art,
and a vintage car registered in Amanda’s name.
He hadn't just cheated on me emotionally.
He had been systematic in his theft.
"He was preparing to leave you,"
Martin added,
his voice full of pity.
"The engagement wasn't a spontaneous outburst of love."
"It was the final step in a three-year plan to strip your assets."
I stared at a photo of the engagement ring Jake had given Amanda.
It was a four-carat emerald cut.
I remembered the day the money for it left our joint account.
He told me it was an investment in a new gemstone mining venture.
I had believed him.
I had trusted the man who slept beside me for over a decade.
"Can we prove it was embezzlement?"
I asked.
"Legally?"
"Yes,"
Martin replied.
"Since the funds originated from the trust your father left solely to you,"
"and he moved them without your signature,"
"it’s a felony."
"I've already contacted the forensic accountants."
"We'll have a full report by Monday."
I leaned back in the leather chair,
looking out at the rain-streaked window.
I felt a strange sense of clarity.
The pain was still there,
but it was being buried under a mountain of evidence.
He had thought I was the "quiet wife" who didn't understand the books.
He thought I was the "romantic" who was too busy dreaming of Paris to notice the missing millions.
He had underestimated the daughter of a man who built an empire from nothing.
"I want him in a cell,
Martin,"
I said,
my voice as cold as ice.
"I don't want a settlement."
"I don't want an apology."
"I want the full weight of the law to crush him."
"It will take time,"
Martin warned.
"I have nothing but time,"
I replied.
I picked up my phone and saw a text from an unknown number.
It was Amanda.
“You think you’re so smart, Emma. But Jake has things on you. Don’t push him.”
I smiled and showed the screen to Martin.
"Blackmail?"
he asked,
eyebrow raised.
"Desperation,"
I corrected.
"He has nothing on me because I haven't done anything but love him."
May you like
"And that,"
"is the only crime I'll ever be guilty of."
