Chapter 5 - Identity and IceMy eyes stared at the dark blue ink on the document. The signature was a terrifyingly accurate replica of my handwriting—the stylized 'M', the sharp slant of the 'E', the double-loop on the 's'.
If I hadn't known with 100% certainty that I was living in Atlanta four years ago, working sixty hours a week and building my own company, I might have questioned my own sanity.
"He forged my name," I said, my voice dropping to an icy whisper.
"He used your social security number and your old credit profile as a third-party corporate guarantor," Vanessa admitted, dropping heavily into the chair across from me. Her face was pale, all her previous arrogance completely drained. "My father's lawyers reviewed it back then. They thought you were still a silent partner in his firm. They had no idea you were divorced!"
"Because Drew lied to them," I realized, the pieces falling into place with terrifying clarity. "He kept telling everyone in his high-society circles that I was an inactive co-founder so he could leverage my clean credit score while hiding his own mounting debts."
"If the loan defaults—which it will, now that the Port Authority has seized his assets—my father's legal team is going to execute the guarantor clause," Vanessa choked out, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "They're going to come after you, Maren. For two million dollars."
I leaned forward over my desk, my eyes fixing on Vanessa with an intensity that made her shrink back.
"They can try," I said softly. "But forging a signature on a federal banking document carries a mandatory sentence in federal prison. Drew didn't just ruin his business, Vanessa. He committed identity theft and bank fraud."
Vanessa covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. "I gave up five years of my life for him. I stood by him when his friends walked away. I let him use my father's connections... and he built our entire life on a mountain of forged papers and lies."
I pulled a box of tissues across the desk and slid it toward her. "Where is he right now, Vanessa?"
"He's at his office in Savannah," she sniffled, wiping her eyes. "He was trying to wipe the backup servers before the federal marshals arrive with the subpoena."
I reached for my office landline, dialing Owen’s direct line at Bennett Capital, followed immediately by my corporate attorney, Marcus Vance.
"Maren?" Owen answered on the first ring. "Is everything okay?"
"Owen," I said, keeping my gaze locked on Vanessa. "I need you to get Gabriel Vance and your legal team to my office right now. Drew didn't just try to kill your venture deal. He used my identity to secure two million dollars in fraudulent loans from the Crowley estate."
Silence hung on the line for two seconds. Then Owen’s voice came back, cold, lethal, and unwavering.
"I'm on my way."
May you like
I hung up the phone and looked at Vanessa. "If you want to protect your father's estate from being dragged down in Drew's criminal trial, you need to pull every financial record you have in that house right now and hand it over to my legal team. Drew is going down, Vanessa. You need to decide today whether you're going down with him."
Vanessa wiped her cheeks, a sudden, fierce look of survival igniting in her eyes. "Where do you want the files?"
Related Stories
