Chapter 2: Eighteen Million Reasons to Lie
“Who are you talking to?””
Ryan's voice came from behind me.
I turned slightly, keeping my phone against my ear.
“I'm talking to my father.””
Ryan looked toward the Lamborghini.
Then back at me.
“Your father?””
“Yes.””
“What's going on?””
I didn't answer.
My father was still speaking.
“Maya, I need you to come to the office tomorrow morning. Don't go anywhere alone tonight.””
“Dad, I can handle myself.””
“This isn't about whether you can handle yourself. It's about what these people may know.””
I looked at Ryan.
He had stepped closer.
“Dad, I'll call you later.””
“Promise me you won't discuss the investigation with Ryan.””
“I promise.””
I ended the call.
Ryan immediately reached for my hand.
I stepped back.
“What did he say?””
“Nothing you need to worry about.””
His eyes narrowed.
“Maya, your father mentioned eighteen million dollars. I heard that much.””
I stared at him.
“You were listening?””
“You were standing in front of me.””
“You were also supposed to be having dinner with your family.””
He ignored that.
“Is your father involved in some kind of business?””
I almost smiled.
“Yes, Ryan. He is.””
“What kind?””
“Investments.””
He looked at the car again.
“Is this really yours?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I wanted you to know me before you knew my bank balance.””
Ryan shook his head.
“This is ridiculous.””
“What is?””
“You've been lying to me.””
I felt my eyebrows rise.
“Interesting.””
“What?””
“You're accusing me of lying after your mother spent the evening explaining that I'm not good enough for you?””
His jaw tightened.
“That has nothing to do with this.””
“Then what does?””
He looked around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear.
“Your father. What does he do exactly?””
I watched his expression.
There was no concern about me.
No question about whether I was okay.
He wanted information.
“Why?””
“Because I need to understand what I'm dealing with.””
I slowly nodded.
“What you're dealing with?””
“Maya, don't twist my words.””
Vanessa appeared in the doorway.
“Ryan, Mom wants to know if Maya is actually leaving.””
I looked at her.
“I'm standing right here.””
She glanced at the Lamborghini.
“Apparently.””
Diane stepped onto the porch.
Her expression had changed completely.
She was suddenly smiling.
“Maya, sweetheart, perhaps we all got off on the wrong foot.””
I stared at her.
“Did we?””
She approached the car.
“This is a beautiful vehicle. Is it a gift?””
“No.””
“Your boyfriend bought it?””
“No.””
Diane's smile became strained.
“Then perhaps we should sit down and talk.””
I looked at Ryan.
“Five minutes ago, I didn't belong in your family. What changed?””
Diane laughed nervously.
“Oh, darling. Families argue. It doesn't mean anything.””
“Actually, I think it means quite a lot.””
Richard stepped outside.
“Everyone should come inside. It's freezing.””
Ryan touched my elbow.
“Please, Maya. Let's not make this worse.””
I pulled away.
“Worse than what?””
He lowered his voice.
“Whatever your father is investigating, I can explain.””
That sentence stopped me.
I looked directly into his eyes.
“Explain what?””
Ryan hesitated.
For the first time, he seemed unable to decide which version of himself to show me.
“It's business.””
“What business?””
“Nothing involving you.””
“Then why are you worried?””
He opened his mouth.
No answer came.
I got into the Lamborghini and closed the door.
Before starting the engine, I looked through the window.
Diane was standing beside Ryan.
She was whispering something urgently.
Vanessa was staring at my car as if she had just discovered a winning lottery ticket.
I drove away.
I didn't cry until I reached my apartment.
Not because I had lost Ryan.
Because I was beginning to realize that the man I had trusted might have been using me from the beginning.
At 11:43 p.m., my father called again.
“Are you home?””
“Yes.””
“Good. I sent Marcus to pick you up tomorrow morning.””
“Dad, I'm not a child.””
“I know. You're my daughter, and someone may have stolen eighteen million dollars from a company you own.””
I sat down on the edge of my bed.
“Tell me everything.””
My father exhaled.
“Three weeks ago, our internal auditors noticed irregular transfers from Bennett Commercial Capital. At first, the amounts were small. Two hundred thousand here. Three hundred thousand there.””
“And nobody caught it?””
“They were disguised as consulting payments and acquisition expenses. The transactions were approved using credentials belonging to a senior executive.””
“Who?””
“Daniel Cross.””
I knew the name.
Daniel was the chief financial officer of one of our largest subsidiaries. He had worked with my father for almost twelve years.
“Daniel?””
“Yes.””
“What's Ryan's connection?””
“His company, Whitmore Advisory Group, received several payments from the same accounts.””
I stood.
“Ryan owns an advisory company?””
“Apparently. It's registered in Delaware. The company has almost no public operating history, but it has received substantial transfers.””
“How much?””
“Approximately six million dollars.””
My stomach turned.
“Six million?””
“That's what we've traced so far.””
I sat back down.
“Why would he do that?””
“That is what we intend to discover.””
I stared at the wall.
Then I remembered something.
Three months earlier, Ryan had asked me whether my father was planning to retire.
He had also asked about Bennett Holdings' private investments and whether I expected to inherit a board position.
At the time, I thought he was simply interested in my family.
Now those conversations felt different.
“Dad?””
“Yes?””
“I think he knew something.””
“What do you mean?””
I explained the questions Ryan had asked over the previous months.
My father remained silent.
Then he said, “Maya, there's another detail.””
“What?””
“The first suspicious transfer happened almost eleven months ago.””
My heart dropped.
Almost exactly when Ryan and I had started dating.
“Dad, are you saying he approached me because of the company?””
“I'm saying we cannot rule it out.””
The next morning, I arrived at Bennett Holdings headquarters at 8:15.
The lobby was filled with employees moving between elevators, carrying coffee and talking about quarterly reports.
Nobody knew what was happening.
Nobody except the people investigating it.
My father was waiting in his office.
He stood when I entered.
For a moment, he didn't say anything.
Then he wrapped his arms around me.
“I should have told you sooner that something was wrong.””
I leaned against him.
“You didn't know.””
“I knew enough to be concerned.””
A man in a charcoal suit entered behind me.
“Ms. Bennett.””
It was Marcus Reed, our general counsel.
He placed a thick folder on the conference table.
“Your father asked me to walk you through the documents.””
I sat down.
The first page contained a list of transfers.
The second showed the receiving companies.
The third contained an authorization record.
My eyes stopped on a familiar name.
Ryan Whitmore.
His signature appeared beneath a payment authorization dated six months earlier.
I turned the page.
Another signature.
Then another.
“Was he authorized to receive these funds?””
Marcus shook his head.
“No. His company was listed as an external consulting vendor, but we have no record of a legitimate contract.””
My father leaned forward.
“That's not the worst part.””
He placed another document in front of me.
It was a scanned email.
The subject line read:
*BENNETT FAMILY ACCESS — STATUS UPDATE.*
I read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
My fingers went cold.
The email was from Ryan.
He had written to someone named Daniel Cross.
She still doesn't suspect anything. Her father is protective, but she believes I'm serious about our relationship. I think I can get her to attend the private shareholder dinner next month.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
My father watched me carefully.
“Do you recognize this?””
I couldn't speak.
Marcus slid another page toward me.
It contained a response.
Good. Once she is involved, we can make the acquisition proposal look like a family decision rather than a hostile move.
I looked up.
“What acquisition proposal?””
My father answered.
“Someone has been preparing to acquire a controlling interest in one of our subsidiaries. The money being diverted may be funding that operation.””
I stared at the documents.
Ryan hadn't simply lied about his feelings.
He might have been positioning himself to access my family's business.
And suddenly, the humiliating Thanksgiving dinner made a terrible kind of sense.
He had brought me into his family because he believed I was useful.
But he hadn't expected me to discover anything.
“Dad,” I whispered, “what happens now?””
My father closed the folder.
“Now we find out how far this goes.””
Marcus checked his phone.
Then his expression changed.
“Alexander, we have a problem.””
My father looked at him.
“What?””
“Daniel Cross just submitted his resignation.””
“When?””
“Seven minutes ago.””
Marcus turned his laptop toward us.
There was another notification.
A wire transfer had been initiated from one of the suspicious accounts.
The destination?
May you like
An offshore account associated with Whitmore Advisory Group.
And the transfer amount was exactly eighteen million dollars.
