Chapter 5 - The Audit
Sarah Sterling opened the black binder and slid three distinct sets of financial documents across the table.
"What is this?" Brad asked, frowning as he picked up the first page.
"That," Sarah said with icy precision, "is a complete financial forensic audit of NovaTech's early funding, cross-referenced with your family's personal bank accounts over the last five years."
Mom blinked, suddenly looking nervous. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"For the last four years," Sarah explained, pointing at a line item highlighted in yellow, "Claire was told that her college fund had been exhausted due to 'bad market investments.' In reality, Mrs. Miller, you funneled $85,000 of Claire’s inheritance from her late grandmother directly into Vanessa’s failed boutique LLC."
Vanessa’s face turned bright red. "That was a family investment!"
"It was grand larceny," Sarah corrected smoothly. "Because the trust explicitly stated the funds were strictly reserved for Claire’s education and technology development. Furthermore, we audited Vanessa’s current 'influencer business.' It appears you’ve been filing tax deductions claiming Claire’s proprietary software equipment as your own business expenses for the past two tax cycles."
The room went dead silent.
Brad looked at Vanessa, his eyes wide. "Wait... you told me you owned those assets!"
"I... I thought it was fine!" Vanessa stammered, her voice trembling. "We're sisters! What's hers is mine!"
"It isn't," I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the table. "Every single piece of hardware in my lab was purchased with my research grants. You committed federal tax fraud, Vanessa. And Mom helped you forge the signatures on the trust releases."
Mom stood up, her chair screeching against the tile floor. "You wouldn't! You wouldn't press charges against your own mother and sister!"
"I don't have to," I replied smoothly. "The IRS and the State Attorney General do that automatically when a corporate audit of an acquired entity reveals grand theft and tax evasion. Meridian Dynamics is a public company. We are legally required to report financial crimes tied to our asset history."
Vanessa dropped her iced coffee. It spilled across the sleek conference table, but nobody moved to clean it up.
"You have two options," Sarah Sterling said, sliding two legal documents across the glass.
"Option One: Vanessa posts a full, unedited video retraction, admitting she lied about the company, tore up the offer letter out of malice, and stole Claire's trust fund. She signs a legally binding non-disparagement agreement and agrees to pay back the $85,000 over a structured settlement plan."
May you like
"And Option Two?" Brad asked nervously, already pulling his hands away from Vanessa as if she were radioactive.
Sarah smiled. "Option Two: We file civil lawsuits for defamation and tortious interference today, while simultaneously handing these forensic audit files directly to the federal prosecutor’s office."
