Chapter 4 - The Signature I Never Gave Them
The room went silent.
Redmont had sent someone to my wedding.
That was no coincidence.
Marcus motioned for everyone to stay quiet.
Thomas Vale knocked once.
“Mr. Carter?”
I looked at Claire.
She whispered, “Do not open it.”
Dad shook his head.
“We should hear what they want.”
Marcus turned toward him.
“They know Ethan has the documents within minutes of Jason bringing them here. That means someone in this room contacted them.”
Everyone looked at everyone else.
Mom shook her head immediately.
“Not me.”
Dad reached for his phone.
Marcus extended his hand.
“Give me that.”
Dad stared at him.
“What?”
“Your phone.”
“You don't have the authority.”
“No. But Ethan can decide whether you're part of the solution or part of the problem.”
Dad's face tightened.
Then he handed it over.
Marcus checked recent messages.
Nothing to David.
Nothing to Redmont.
I looked at Jason.
He unlocked his phone and gave it to me voluntarily.
Nothing.
Mom did the same.
Then Claire noticed something.
“Robert, where is your smartwatch?”
Dad looked down.
His wrist was empty.
He normally wore it everywhere.
“I left it at the table.”
Mom's face changed.
“Your watch has cellular service.”
Dad stared at her.
Marcus closed his eyes.
“You contacted David from the watch.”
Dad didn't answer.
I felt something inside me go quiet.
Not angry.
Done.
“You warned him.”
“I panicked.”
“You warned the man who forged my signature.”
“I wanted him to fix it before this became a disaster.”
“It is already a disaster.”
Outside, Thomas Vale spoke again.
“We only want a conversation.”
Marcus moved toward the door.
“Mr. Vale, this is Marcus Reed, general counsel for Carter Meridian Systems. Any communication with Mr. Carter regarding Redmont financing now goes through me.”
Silence outside.
Then Vale answered.
“We weren't aware counsel was present.”
Marcus smiled without humor.
“You came to his wedding.”
No response.
Uncle David spoke next.
“Ethan, this is getting ridiculous.”
I walked toward the door.
Marcus held up one hand.
I stopped.
David continued.
“We're family. Open the door.”
Family.
The word had become almost funny.
Marcus called through the door.
“David, I strongly recommend you leave.”
“Who the hell are you to—”
“The attorney currently preserving evidence of financial fraud.”
Silence.
Then footsteps.
They left.
At least temporarily.
I looked at Dad.
“Your watch.”
He stared at me.
“Ethan.”
“Get it.”
He didn't move.
“Now.”
Dad left.
Marcus followed him.
Claire turned toward Mom.
“Margaret, is there anything else Ethan needs to know?”
Mom shook her head.
Claire waited.
Mom looked away.
I knew that look.
“Mom.”
Her shoulders collapsed.
“There was another document.”
I almost laughed.
“What now?”
“A power of attorney.”
My blood went cold.
“What power of attorney?”
“Your father said it was temporary.”
I closed my eyes.
“Where?”
“In his desk.”
“What did it authorize?”
“I don't know.”
“You signed as witness?”
Her silence answered me.
Claire sat across from her.
“Margaret, listen carefully. Did you witness Ethan sign a power of attorney?”
“No.”
“Then why did you sign?”
Mom began crying again.
“Robert said Ethan had approved it.”
I stared at her.
“You believed that?”
“He said you were busy.”
“You thought I was too busy to sign my own legal document?”
She covered her mouth.
That was the moment I understood something painful.
My mother's problem wasn't stupidity.
It was convenience.
Believing Dad was easier than questioning him.
Just as believing Jason always needed help was easier than telling him no.
Just as believing I could handle everything was easier than considering what it cost me.
Claire asked, “Do you remember what powers it gave?”
Mom wiped her eyes.
“Banking. Property. Business matters.”
Claire looked at me.
That was serious.
Potentially catastrophic.
Marcus returned with Dad.
Dad handed over the smartwatch.
Marcus placed it beside the documents.
I stared at my father.
“Power of attorney.”
His face changed.
So Mom hadn't been wrong.
“It was limited.”
“To what?”
“Financial matters.”
“That isn't limited.”
“It was supposed to protect the family.”
“From what?”
He slammed his hand on the desk.
“From losing everything!”
His voice filled the room.
For once, the mask disappeared.
Fear.
Pride.
Desperation.
“You think this was easy?” he demanded. “You think I enjoyed coming to my son for money? I spent forty years providing for this family.”
I stared at him.
“You could have told me.”
“And listen to you lecture me?”
“I would have helped.”
“You already helped.”
“Then why forge my name?”
His mouth tightened.
“Because you would have said no.”
There it was.
The truth.
Simple.
Ugly.
He knew.
I leaned against the desk.
“What exactly would I have said no to?”
Dad looked toward Jason.
Jason looked away.
I followed his gaze.
“Jason?”
My brother swallowed.
“The Lake Norman project wasn't the only thing.”
“Of course it wasn't.”
Dad closed his eyes.
Jason continued.
“There was supposed to be a second development.”
“Where?”
“South Carolina.”
“How much?”
“I don't know.”
Dad said nothing.
I looked at him.
“How much?”
He answered quietly.
“Four hundred.”
My stomach turned.
“Four hundred thousand dollars?”
He nodded.
“Where did you get four hundred thousand?”
“We didn't.”
Not yet.
Claire understood first.
“The power of attorney.”
Dad looked at her.
She whispered, “You were going to borrow against Ethan's company.”
Dad spoke quickly.
“Only until the project closed.”
I stared at him.
“You were planning to take four hundred thousand dollars against my business.”
“The return would have covered everything.”
“You were going to gamble my company.”
“It wasn't gambling.”
“Redmont is under investigation!”
“We didn't know that then.”
“You knew enough to hide it from me.”
He had no answer.
Claire walked toward the window.
I could tell she was trying not to show how angry she was.
Marcus opened the laptop Jason had brought.
“Do you have copies of the power of attorney?”
Jason nodded.
He searched his files.
Then stopped.
“What?”
Jason frowned.
“The folder is gone.”
Dad looked confused.
“What folder?”
“The scans.”
He searched again.
“I copied everything Thursday.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“Where did you save it?”
“Cloud drive.”
“Who has access?”
Jason's face changed.
“My assistant.”
“Anyone else?”
He stared at Dad.
“Uncle David.”
I closed my eyes.
“Change your password.”
Jason did.
Too late.
Marcus checked the account activity.
A login had occurred twenty-three minutes earlier.
Files deleted.
Then trash emptied.
Marcus said, “We can probably recover them.”
Claire asked, “Can David alter the originals?”
Dad answered.
“They're in my desk.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I declined it.
It rang again.
Unknown number.
Marcus said, “Answer on speaker.”
I did.
“Hello?”
A man spoke.
“Mr. Carter, this is Detective Samuel Harris with Mecklenburg County Financial Crimes.”
Everyone froze.
I looked at Marcus.
The detective continued.
“I apologize for contacting you on your wedding day, but we need to speak with you regarding several documents connected to Carter Meridian Systems.”
I swallowed.
“What documents?”
There was a pause.
“Mr. Carter, are you currently in possession of your company's corporate seal?”
My eyes moved to Dad.
His face had gone completely white.
I didn't answer the detective immediately.
Because I suddenly knew what his next question was going to be.
May you like
And when he asked it, my father sat down.
“Then can you explain why your corporate seal appears on a loan application signed yesterday?”
