Chapter 6 - The Golden Child's Secret
Z
That night, my apartment transformed into a war room.
With Arthur Pendelton’s quiet authorization, I had downloaded encrypted copies of the financial ledgers associated with R&S Holding Group and M.M. Global Luxe LLC. I hired a top-tier criminal defense attorney named Marcus Vance—who, ironicaly, had no relation to my father’s business partner—and sat down with him at my dining table.
"This is systematic," Marcus said, scrolling through the financial network graphs displayed on his tablet. Marcus was a sharp, fifty-something attorney with graying hair and an unrelenting, tactical mind. "Your father didn't act alone here, Skyla. To set up shell entities and transfer funds without triggering immediate anti-money-laundering flags at regional banks, he needed an insider at a major commercial banking institution."
"Who?" I asked, sipping black coffee to stay awake.
Marcus pulled up a state registry document for M.M. Global Luxe LLC. "Look at the registered agent listed on your sister's company filings."
I leaned in closely. The registered agent wasn't my father, nor was it Marissa.
REGISTERED AGENT: JULIAN CROSS - APEX CAPITAL MANAGEMENT.
I froze. "Julian Cross?"
Julian Cross was a high-profile wealth manager in Seattle. He was young, impossibly wealthy, heavily connected in high society, and frequently featured in regional business magazines. He was also Marissa’s supposedly elusive "investor boyfriend"—the man she had been bragging about during Thanksgiving dinner.
"Julian Cross isn't just an investor," I realized aloud, the pieces falling into place like falling dominoes. "He’s the one who approved the fraudulent one-hundred-and-forty-five-thousand-dollar Apex Capital loan using my Social Security number!"
"Bingo," Marcus said, tapping the screen. "Cross bypassed standard identity verification checks at Apex Capital because he had internal access. He pushed the loan through, funneled the funds into Marissa's company, and then your father transferred portions of those funds into R&S Holding Group to cover his own real estate shortfalls."
"So Marissa knew," I whispered, a feeling of deep nauseating betrayal washing over me. "She didn't just accept money from Dad. She and Julian actively helped him forge my identity!"
"It gets worse," Marcus cautioned, pulling up another set of transaction logs. "Julian Cross isn't just managing money for Apex Capital. He is currently under quiet investigation by the SEC for running an offshore Ponzi scheme targeting high-net-worth real estate investors in the Pacific Northwest. Your father wasn't just fixing his own debts—he was laundering money for Julian Cross."
I sat in stunned silence. The sister who had looked down on me my entire life, calling me a boring "number cruncher," was deeply entangled with a white-collar criminal. And they had used my quiet, flawless reputation as a professional auditor to build a camouflage buffer around their illegal operations.
At that exact moment, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed an unlisted number. I pressed speakerphone, while Marcus nodded at me to record the call.
"Skyla?"
It was Marissa’s voice. But the arrogant, mocking tone from Thanksgiving was entirely gone. She was crying hysterically, her voice breathless and frantic.
"Skyla, please! You have to help me!" she sobbed.
"Why would I ever help you, Marissa?" I asked coldly. "You came to my office today and tried to destroy my professional reputation."
"I was panicked! I didn't know what to do!" she wailed. "Julian... Julian left the country two hours ago! He cleared out all the bank accounts associated with M.M. Global Luxe! The FBI just showed up at Dad's office with a search warrant, Skyla! They're seizing everything!"
I looked at Marcus, who remained completely motionless, listening intently.
"Why are you calling me, Marissa?" I demanded.
"Because Dad told me... Dad told me that if the authorities check the shell accounts, your name is on the master signature card for R&S Holding!" Marissa wept. "The agents asked for you! Dad told them you handled all the financial management for the family! He told the police you were the one who ran the shell company!"
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My blood turned to pure ice.
My own father had just thrown me to the federal agents to save his own skin. He had told the FBI that his quiet, auditor daughter was the mastermind behind his multi-million-dollar laundering scheme.
