Chapter 8 - THE ACCOUNT THAT NEVER BELONGED TO DAVID
The D. CARTER LEGACY account had been created nine years earlier.
Its official purpose was to hold funds connected to unresolved liabilities from David Carter's employment.
But no such liabilities had been approved.
No settlement had been signed.
No court had ordered payments.
The account was a fiction.
Independent forensic accountants traced the money.
The transfers moved through several shell companies before reaching accounts controlled by individuals associated with Daniel Reed.
The total was staggering.
More than eighty million dollars over nine years.
Ethan stared at the report.
“How did nobody notice?”
The lead accountant, Sarah Lin, looked at him.
“Someone designed the system to hide it.”
Ethan rubbed his face.
“And my father?”
Sarah hesitated.
“We're still examining his role.”
Ethan knew what she meant.
Charles Brooks might have been deceived.
Or he might have participated.
The possibility made Ethan feel physically ill.
That evening, Mia visited Ethan's office with her attorney.
She had agreed to review relevant records concerning her father.
Ethan showed her the account.
Mia stared at the name.
“D. Carter Legacy.”
He nodded.
Her eyes filled.
“They used his name.”
“Yes.”
“To steal money.”
Ethan looked down.
“Yes.”
Mia began crying.
For eleven years, her father had been remembered as a thief.
Now someone had been using his name to conceal theft on a scale he had tried to expose.
Ethan spoke quietly.
“Mia, I'm sorry.”
She wiped her face.
“Don't apologize for something you haven't fixed.”
He nodded.
“Fair.”
May you like
She looked at him.
“Then fix it.”
