I Don’t Read Between The Lines, I Only Tell The Truth Outright Chapter 07

I Don’t Read Between The Lines, I Only Tell The Truth Outright Chapter 07

Daphne didn’t cry. She looked at the page for a while before she said anything.

“I did take a copy of Nora’s ID.”

My mother’s face changed. “What did you take it for?”

“We set up the family insurance policy last year, and the agent said he needed documents for everyone.” She

turned to me. “I put it back when I was done.”

The explanation sounded reasonable enough.

Adrian turned to the finance manager. “Who brought in the consulting firm?”

The finance manager went through his records. “Daphne’s assistant, Zoe.”

Daphne had her phone out immediately. “I’ll call her in right now.”

30 minutes later, Zoe walked into the conference room. One look at the authorization form and the blood left

her face.

“I did it.”

Daphne shot to her feet. “Zoe, why would you use my sister’s name?”

Zoe kept her head down. “Nora isn’t on the foundation’s board, but Daphne told me everything the family had

was available to us. So I borrowed a name to move the money through.”

Daphne shook her head with red eyes. “I never told you to forge a signature.”

“You told me not to let the charge land on you.”

Zoe didn’t say it loudly. Everyone in the room heard it anyway.

The cup in my mother’s hand tipped. “Daphne, did you say that?”

“What I said was don’t mix the brand and the foundation!” Daphne was frantic. “She’s taking it out of context!”

Zoe lifted her head. “I still have the messages.”

Eli’s face went dark. “Show us.”

Daphne slapped a hand down over Zoe’s phone. “That’s private.”

I asked her a question. “Private, with 600 thousand dollars in it?”

“Nora, are you trying to destroy me?”

“I didn’t cook the books. I didn’t forge the signature. How am I destroying you?”

The tears finally came.

My father rubbed his forehead. “That’s enough for today. Nora, leave the file here. I’ll have legal look into it.”

I didn’t move. “My firm has to issue a formal report.”

“You have to air the family’s dirty laundry?”

“So now we’re a family?”

That stopped him cold.

I looked at him. “When you shut off my card, you told me not to spend another dollar of Weston money. Now

I’m auditing Weston books, and suddenly we’re all family. Which is it?”

He didn’t answer.

I turned to Zoe. “Who owns the consulting firm?”

“A friend of Daphne’s runs it.”

“What was the money spent on?”

Zoe set her teeth. “Buying trending placement for the jewelry brand.”

Daphne closed her eyes.

Adrian stood up, and his voice was cold. “Daphne, didn’t you tell us a friend covered the promo costs?”

“I’ll pay it back.”

“With what?”

“With what the brand earns.”

I gathered up my files. “This was not a loan. There’s no contract, no interest, and no repayment date. In plain

terms, it’s misappropriation.”

Daphne came at me across the room. “Are you satisfied now?”

“There’s nothing here to be satisfied about.”

“The second you came back, everybody started watching me. The room has to go back, the locket has to go back, and now my work is being audited. Are you trying to push me out?”

I looked at her steadily. “I moved out. You still live in that house. Nobody has touched your room. The locket

is still around your neck. So how exactly am I pushing you out?”

She had nothing to say to that, and she looked away.

I picked up my laptop bag, and at the door, I turned back to my father. “The money comes back by 5 p.m.

tomorrow. Otherwise we report it.”

He stared at me. “You can’t give us one more day?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because the rules aren’t only for the people outside this family.”