One phone call from me and it all goes to the district attorney. My world was collapsing and rebuilding itself simultaneously. Grandpa Harold, my grandpa Harold had been testing us all along, and my parents had failed spectacularly.
The library erupted into chaos. My mother began sobbing dramatically while my father attempted to approach Grandpa Harold, only to be stopped by a look so fierce it halted him mid-stride. Jillian sat frozen, her perfectly made-up face a mask of shock.
Ethan moved to stand beside me, our shoulders touching in a silent show of solidarity that we hadn’t shared since childhood. Everyone sit down. Grandpa Harold commanded, and remarkably, everyone obeyed.
Even my father, the man who had been running our family and business with an iron fist, sank into the nearest chair like a scolded child. I’ll start from the beginning, Grandpa said, moving with surprising agility to take the seat at the head of the long library table, his traditional place during family meetings.
14 months ago, I began noticing irregularities in the quarterly financial reports. Properties that should have been generating substantial income were showing minimal returns. Development costs for new projects were inexplicably inflated.
Money was moving through our accounts in patterns that made no sense for legitimate business. He looked directly at my father. At first, I thought you were simply making poor decisions.
But Thomas Franklin, you remember my old friend who became a judge. He suggested something more concerning might be happening. My father’s face had gone from pale to ashen.
Judge Franklin had been Grandpa’s friend for over 50 years and was known for his expertise in financial crimes. Thomas put me in touch with a forensic accountant and a private investigator. Grandpa continued.
What they uncovered was far worse than I imagined. Richard, you’ve been systematically draining assets from Blake Holdings for at least eight years. Millions siphoned into shell companies and offshore accounts under various aliases.
My mother found her voice, though it shook with emotion or calculation. It was impossible to tell which. Harold, you’re confused.
Richard has grown the company’s official value. The annual reports clearly show. The annual reports show what Richard wanted them to show.
Grandpa cut her off. The real numbers tell a different story. We should be worth nearly twice what we are on paper.
He turned to Peterson, who looked profoundly uncomfortable. Lawrence, I’m disappointed in you. You had to have suspected something wasn’t right with those documents I supposedly signed.
Peterson swallowed hard. Mr. Blake, I was assured you were having lucid periods when major decisions were made. Given your medical reports, medical reports that were exaggerated by specialists who mysteriously received large donations to their research foundations from anonymous sources.
