Chapter 5: The Signature That Wasn't Mine
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the distant rush of traffic.
The document lay on the sedan's hood beneath the hotel lights. My name appeared at the bottom in black ink, followed by a signature so convincing that even I had to look twice.
It wasn't mine.
Not exactly.
The capital E was too narrow. The final stroke of the C in Carter curved in the wrong direction. Whoever had copied it had studied my signature, but they'd missed the tiny details that came from writing the same name thousands of times.
I pointed to the date.
“May fourteenth?””
Victor nodded.
“You signed it that afternoon.””
“No, I didn't.””
“You're welcome to claim that.””
“I was in Charlotte on May fourteenth. I have flight records, hotel receipts, and a meeting with three clients who can confirm where I was.””
Victor's smile faltered for half a second.
It was enough.
“You didn't expect me to check,” I said.
“I expected you to honor your obligations.””
“Then you should have brought an agreement I actually signed.””
Marcus moved closer to inspect the page.
“What's this supposed to mean?””
Victor tapped a paragraph near the bottom.
“It means Ethan guaranteed repayment of the funds transferred through his company. If Brianna defaults, he becomes personally responsible.””
Marcus looked at me.
“Is that legal?””
“Not if the signature was forged,” I replied.
Victor shrugged.
“That's a matter for the courts.””
Brianna stepped toward the document.
“Victor, you said Ethan had agreed to guarantee the investment.””
“I said the agreement had been executed.””
“You told me he knew!””
Victor's expression sharpened.
“Careful, Brianna. You might want to remember which of us has been keeping you out of trouble.””
She recoiled as though he'd slapped her.
I watched them, trying to understand the relationship between them.
Brianna had been paying Victor money for months. She'd lied to Marcus, deceived me, and apparently allowed someone to forge my signature.
But Victor wasn't behaving like a businessman collecting a debt.
He was behaving like a man who knew exactly how much fear he could extract from someone.
“Why didn't you take this to my attorney?”” I asked.
“Because I wanted to give you an opportunity to settle the matter privately.””
“You drove to my girlfriend's birthday party with a forged contract.””
“Allegedly forged.””
I took out my phone.
Victor watched me.
“Who are you calling?””
“My attorney.””
His face changed.
“That's unnecessary.””
“Then you won't mind explaining this document to her.””
He reached toward the paper, but I moved it away.
“Don't touch it,” I said.
For the first time, Victor looked genuinely angry.
“You have no idea what you're interfering with.””
“Then enlighten me.””
He glanced at Brianna.
She shook her head desperately.
“Please don't.””
Victor ignored her.
“Your girlfriend came to me because she wanted a different life. She was tired of being dependent on a man who made promises but never gave her the future she wanted.””
I felt the words land, but I didn't let him see it.
“She had access to my company's accounts,” I replied.
“That doesn't give you the right to forge my signature.””
“Ask her why she needed the money.””
I turned to Brianna.
“Why?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I told you. The investment failed.””
“That's not what he asked.””
She glanced at Marcus, then at Ashley.
Finally, she whispered, “I wanted to open my own agency.””
“You already had a company.””
“A registered business with no real clients!”” she shouted.
“I wanted a proper office, employees, a life that didn't depend on whether you felt generous enough to help me.””
“I offered to help you build a legitimate business.””
“You offered to help me when it suited you!””
The words hung between us.
I remembered the countless nights she'd spent at my apartment, working on plans for her future. I'd reviewed her proposals, introduced her to contacts, and offered to help her find clients.
Every time, she'd said she wanted to do it herself.
I'd respected that.
Now I wondered how many of those conversations had been performances.
Marcus looked at her with open disbelief.
“You told me you were building your company from your own savings.””
“I was trying to become independent.””
“By stealing money?””
“I wasn't stealing!””
“Then what would you call it?””
Brianna opened her mouth, but no answer came.
Ashley finally spoke.
“Marcus, she asked me for money, too.””
Everyone turned toward her.
Brianna's face tightened.
“Ashley, don't.””
Ashley reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone.
“She borrowed twelve thousand dollars from me last spring. She said her mother needed emergency surgery and her insurance wouldn't cover it.””
Brianna looked furious.
“My mother did have medical bills!””
“Your mother told me she never asked you for money,” Ashley replied.
“I called her last week because I couldn't understand why you kept avoiding me.””
Marcus stared at Brianna.
“You borrowed money from your best friend using your own mother as an excuse?””
Brianna started crying again.
“I was going to repay everyone!””
“When?”” Ashley demanded.
“After you married Marcus? After you convinced Ethan to buy you a Porsche? Or after you ran out of people who still believed you?””
Brianna slapped Ashley.
The sound cracked across the parking lot.
Ashley staggered sideways, one hand flying to her cheek.
Marcus immediately stepped between them.
“Don't you ever touch her again!””
Brianna stared at her own hand, horrified for a moment. Then her expression hardened.
“She betrayed me!””
“No,” Ashley said, tears shining in her eyes.
“I finally stopped protecting you.””
I turned away from them and called my attorney.
When she answered, I explained the forged guarantee, the suspicious transfers, and Victor's presence at the hotel. She instructed me not to sign anything, not to make any repayment promises, and to preserve every document.
Then she asked me a question that changed the direction of the conversation.
“Ethan, did Brianna have access to your company's digital signature credentials?””
“Yes. Limited access.””
“Could she have created a signed document using your saved signature?””
I looked at Brianna.
She had stopped crying.
Instead, she was staring at the sedan's hood.
“I don't know,” I answered.
My attorney's voice became firmer.
“Then we need to secure the accounts immediately. And Ethan, don't assume Victor is the only person involved.””
I ended the call.
Victor was watching me with an expression I couldn't read.
“Getting legal advice already?”” he asked.
“Yes.””
“Good. You might need it.””
He reached for his second envelope and removed a folded sheet of paper.
“There's one more thing you should know. The payments from your company didn't just disappear into Brianna's business account. A portion went to someone who helped arrange the transfers.””
“Who?””
Victor looked directly at Ashley.
She went white.
Brianna whispered, “No.””
Victor unfolded the paper and placed it on the hood beside the forged agreement.
The recipient's name was printed clearly beneath the transaction details.
Ashley Morgan.
Marcus stared at her.
“Tell me that's not your account.””
Ashley shook her head, tears spilling down her face.
“It is,” she whispered.
“But I can explain why the money went through me.””
Brianna took a step backward.
May you like
Then she said something none of us expected.
“Ashley, you promised me you'd never tell them about the baby.””
