Chapter 5: The Company in My Name
"That's not my signature.""
I said it three times before Richard finally stopped examining the document.
He printed the authorization and placed it beside the medical report.
Two signatures.
Two forged documents.
Two separate institutions.
And both carried my name.
Richard called the bank's fraud department while I sat across from him.
He explained that I had not authorized the transfer and requested an immediate preservation order on the relevant transaction records.
The bank representative asked several questions.
Richard answered each one carefully.
Finally, he hung up.
"They've placed a temporary hold on the disputed transfer.""
"How much money?""
"Thirty-eight million dollars.""
I stared at him.
"Thirty-eight million?""
"That appears to be the amount moved from one of Ethan's investment accounts into the company registered in your name.""
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
"Why would Daniel put the money in a company under my name?""
"Several possibilities. He may have intended to make you appear responsible for the transfer. Alternatively, he may have been using your identity as a temporary holding structure.""
"Could Ethan accuse me of stealing his money?""
Richard didn't hesitate.
"Absolutely. Which is why we need to move quickly.""
My phone rang again.
Ethan.
I answered.
"Have you seen the transfer documents?"" he demanded.
"Yes.""
"Did you authorize them?""
"No.""
"Then why is your name on everything?""
"That's exactly what I'm trying to find out.""
He exhaled sharply.
"Daniel has been handling my private investments for years. He had access to several accounts. I trusted him.""
"And you trusted Vanessa.""
"Don't start.""
"I'm not starting anything, Ethan. I'm trying to understand why my identity is being used in a financial crime.""
He lowered his voice.
"Richard needs to tell the bank that the transfer was legitimate.""
"Are you serious?""
"If the bank freezes everything, my company could face serious problems.""
I stood.
"Your company? Ethan, someone has forged my signature and moved thirty-eight million dollars into a company I didn't even know existed.""
"Olivia, I can make this worth your while.""
I laughed bitterly.
"You already tried that. Twenty million. Then forty.
Now fifty. Is there a number at which you'll finally tell me the truth?""
Silence.
Then he said, "Daniel has been lying to me.""
"That's not an answer.""
"I don't know what else you want.""
"Honesty would be a start.""
I ended the call.
Richard was watching me.
"Mrs. Blackwood, there's something I haven't told you.""
I turned.
"What?""
He opened the thick folder again.
"When Ethan established Blackwood Legacy Holdings, he appointed Daniel as the primary administrator. But the company registered under your name was established three months later.""
"Who registered it?""
"An attorney in Delaware. The incorporation documents list you as the sole owner.""
"I never met that attorney.""
"I believe you.""
He placed another page on the desk.
"But there's a complication. The company has been receiving monthly payments for almost two years.""
"From whom?""
"Several Blackwood subsidiaries.""
I leaned forward.
"How much?""
Richard showed me the total.
$4.2 million.
My stomach dropped.
"You're telling me someone has been moving money through a company in my name for two years?""
"Yes.""
"Why didn't the bank flag it?""
"Because the company was properly registered, the transactions were structured as investment distributions, and the authorized representatives were individuals connected to the Blackwood organization.""
I looked at the document again.
There was an address listed beneath my name.
It wasn't our penthouse.
It was a residential property in Connecticut.
I recognized the address immediately.
It belonged to Daniel.
"Richard, why is my company registered at Daniel's house?""
He didn't answer.
Instead, he picked up his phone and called an investigator.
While he spoke, I examined the documents.
There was a list of directors, shareholders, and authorized representatives.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Vanessa Reed.
She had never been married to Daniel.
But according to these documents, she had served as a financial consultant for the company.
I felt sick.
The woman who had sat in my living room, rubbing her pregnant stomach and mocking me for being unable to give Ethan a child, had been connected to a financial operation using my identity.
"Richard, look at this.""
He read the page.
His expression hardened.
"That's significant.""
"Can we prove she was involved?""
"Not yet. But we can request the company's underlying records.""
He returned to his phone call.
A few minutes later, he received an email.
He opened the attachment.
It was a scanned contract.
The title read:
*BLACKWOOD FAMILY SUCCESSION AGREEMENT.*
My name appeared at the bottom.
So did Ethan's.
And Daniel's.
Richard read the first page, then turned to the second.
His expression changed completely.
"What is it?""
He didn't respond.
"Richard?""
He placed the document in front of me.
The agreement contained a clause stating that if Ethan Blackwood became medically incapable of producing biological heirs, Daniel would assume control of the family's succession structure.
I read it twice.
Then I noticed the date.
It had been signed six months before Ethan and I visited the fertility clinic.
But the most disturbing detail was on the final page.
A handwritten note had been added beneath the signatures.
If the first marriage produces no heir, use the alternative arrangement.
I looked at Richard.
"What alternative arrangement?""
He turned to the attachment.
It was a document from the fertility clinic.
A pregnancy verification request.
The patient listed was Vanessa Reed.
The presumed biological father was Ethan Blackwood.
But the name of the person who had authorized the procedure was Daniel Blackwood.
I couldn't breathe.
"Richard, this is not just about a fake pregnancy.""
"No," he said.
"Then what is it?""
He stared at the page.
"I think Daniel has been preparing to take control of the Blackwood empire for years.""
My phone buzzed.
An email from an unknown sender.
There was no message.
Only an attachment.
I opened it.
A video began playing.
The footage showed a private dining room at a luxury hotel.
Daniel sat across from Vanessa.
She was holding a glass of wine.
Daniel slid an envelope across the table.
"Once Ethan believes the baby is his, everything changes," he said.
Vanessa laughed.
"And Olivia?""
Daniel leaned back.
"She'll disappear. We have already arranged that.""
My fingers went numb.
Then Daniel said something that made my blood run cold.
"Besides, she signed the documents herself.""
The video ended.
Richard stared at the screen.
"Who sent this?""
May you like
Before I could answer, another message appeared.
You have only seen the beginning. Ask your husband what happened to his first medical records.
