Chapter 7 - The Final Audit
The forensic audit ordered by Marcus Vance uncovered far more than just ruined wedding contracts.
By Tuesday morning, federal investigators were looking into Miller Enterprises. It turned out my father had been quietly siphoning funds from Grandma Evelyn’s primary estate account for three years to prop up Lauren’s failing boutique and fund her extravagant lifestyle.
Daniel and I spent Tuesday evening reviewing the property transfer documents in our living room.
"The title to the historic family home on Stratford Avenue is officially transferring to the Vance Estate receivership tomorrow morning," Daniel said, scrolling through the legal portal on his laptop. "Your uncle Arthur has already filed a bid to buy the commercial real estate division out of bankruptcy."
I looked out the window at the twinkling lights of Columbus. The city felt different now—lighter, cleaner, as if a dense fog had finally lifted.
"Do you think they'll leave Ohio?" I asked softly.
"Where would they go?" Daniel replied, setting his laptop aside and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "Without money, without high-society connections, and with half the state watching their downfall online... they have nowhere left to hide."
My phone buzzed on the coffee table. An unknown number.
I picked it up and tapped speakerphone.
"Emily?"
It was Lauren. Her voice wasn't haughty or sharp anymore. It sounded small, hollow, and utterly broken.
"What do you want, Lauren?" I asked, my voice devoid of emotion.
"I hate you," she whispered fiercely through the static. "You planned this. You set me up from the very beginning to take everything!"
A cold, bitter smile touched my lips. "I didn't plan your narcissism, Lauren. I didn't force you to slash my dress, and I certainly didn't force you to stage a fraudulent wedding for Instagram clout. You destroyed your own life all by yourself."
May you like
Click.
I hung up the phone, turned it off completely, and tossed it onto the couch.
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