Chapter 5: The Signature Trap
Naomi stared at Chloe.
"She copied my signature?""
Chloe covered her face.
"I don't know exactly what she did.""
Melissa stepped forward.
"Because nothing happened.""
Daniel turned on her.
"Stop lying.""
"I'm not lying.""
"My daughter signed papers you told her were for school. You scanned them that night. Now a document appears claiming she approved your control over her trust.""
Melissa's voice cracked.
"I was trying to fix our finances!""
Naomi stared at her.
There it was again.
Not denial.
Justification.
Daniel seemed to hear it too.
His expression changed from anger to something colder.
"Our finances?""
Melissa shook her head.
"You don't know how expensive everything is.""
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"I pay the mortgage.""
Silence.
"I pay the utilities.""
Melissa looked away.
"I pay both girls' insurance.""
Nothing.
"I paid for Chloe's BMW.""
Chloe flinched.
"I pay her private school tuition.""
Melissa's face tightened.
"So what finances were you fixing?""
"My debts.""
The words were barely audible.
Daniel stared at her.
"How much?""
Melissa didn't answer.
"How much debt?""
Eric sat down heavily.
"Tell him.""
Melissa glared at him.
"You stay out of this.""
"I'm already in it.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"How much?""
Melissa whispered, "Around ninety.""
Daniel frowned.
"Ninety what?""
Her silence answered.
"Ninety thousand dollars?""
Melissa nodded.
Chloe stared at her.
"How?""
Melissa looked embarrassed now.
Not remorseful.
Embarrassed.
"Credit cards.""
Daniel closed his eyes.
"How many?""
"Several.""
"How many?""
"Eleven.""
Naomi couldn't believe it.
Daniel looked equally stunned.
"What did you spend ninety thousand dollars on?""
Melissa's face hardened again.
"I don't have to justify every purchase.""
"You were taking money from my daughter to cover it.""
"I was going to pay everything back.""
"With what?""
"The boutique.""
Eric laughed.
Everyone looked at him.
He shook his head.
"The boutique is losing money.""
Melissa snapped, "You don't know that.""
"I saw the numbers.""
"What numbers?"" Daniel asked.
Eric hesitated.
"She asked me to help refinance it.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"How much is the business losing?""
"About eight thousand a month.""
Chloe sat down.
Naomi watched her stepsister's confidence disappear piece by piece.
The girl who had laughed about Naomi's broken trophies now looked terrified of her own mother.
Daniel asked, "So let me understand this. You have ninety thousand in personal debt, a business losing eight thousand a month, and you were trying to buy a Florida condo.""
Melissa lifted her chin.
"The condo was supposed to generate rental income.""
"With Naomi's money as the down payment.""
"It would have been an investment.""
"For whom?""
"For the family!""
Naomi finally spoke.
"Stop calling it family.""
Melissa turned.
Naomi's eyes were wet, but her voice was steady.
"You didn't ask me.""
"You are sixteen.""
"You didn't ask Dad.""
Melissa said nothing.
"You lied to Chloe.""
Chloe looked up.
"You forged Dad's signature.""
"I didn't.""
"You convinced Chloe to do it.""
"She misunderstood.""
"And you copied mine.""
Melissa shook her head.
Naomi continued.
"You keep saying family because it sounds better than stealing.""
Melissa's expression twisted.
"You think you're so smart.""
Daniel moved instantly.
"Don't talk to her like that.""
Melissa ignored him.
"You've always thought you're better than Chloe.""
Naomi blinked.
"I never said that.""
"You didn't have to.""
Melissa pointed toward the living room.
"The trophies say it. The certificates say it. Every teacher who calls this house says it.""
Naomi stared at her.
"So you hated me because I did well in school?""
"I didn't hate you.""
"You hated seeing me succeed.""
"No.""
"You threw my awards away.""
"I moved them.""
"You broke Mom's trophy.""
"It was an accident!""
"And you stole my college money.""
Melissa's face crumpled.
"I was desperate.""
For the first time, she sounded human.
Naomi hesitated.
Melissa sat down.
Her shoulders dropped.
"I made mistakes.""
Daniel said nothing.
"I thought the business would work.""
Her voice shook.
"I thought I'd make the money back before anyone noticed.""
Daniel stared at her.
"So you did take the twenty-five thousand.""
Melissa nodded.
Chloe began crying again.
"I'm sorry.""
Melissa looked toward Naomi.
"I truly believed I could replace it.""
Naomi's throat tightened.
Twenty-five thousand dollars.
Gone.
Money her mother had saved.
Money Daniel had added to.
Money Naomi thought was waiting for college.
"How much is left?""
Melissa didn't answer.
Naomi's heart sank.
"How much of the twenty-five thousand is left?""
"Almost none.""
Naomi looked away.
Daniel put a hand gently on her shoulder.
She wanted to be strong.
Instead, tears spilled down her cheeks.
Daniel pulled her against him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Naomi shook her head.
"You didn't know.""
"I should have.""
Melissa watched them.
Something unreadable crossed her face.
Then Chloe spoke.
"Did you use any of my money?""
Melissa turned toward her.
"What?""
"My college account.""
"Of course not.""
Chloe stood.
"Show me.""
"Chloe.""
"Show me.""
Melissa stared at her daughter.
Chloe's voice rose.
"You said Naomi had enough. You said that's why it didn't matter.""
"Don't start.""
"Did you take mine too?""
"No.""
"Then show me.""
Melissa grabbed her purse.
"I can't access it from here.""
Daniel spoke.
"I can.""
Melissa looked at him.
Daniel continued.
"Chloe's education account is linked to the household financial dashboard because I've contributed to it.""
Chloe looked at him.
"You have?""
"Every month since I married your mother.""
Chloe stared.
Apparently Melissa had never told her.
Daniel walked into his office.
A minute later he returned with his laptop.
He logged in.
Chloe stood beside him.
Naomi didn't want to look.
But she did.
Daniel clicked through several accounts.
Then stopped.
Chloe saw his face.
"What?""
Daniel said nothing.
"Dad?""
It was the first time Chloe had called him that all afternoon.
Daniel slowly turned the laptop.
The account had once contained nearly fifty-three thousand dollars.
The current balance was eleven thousand four hundred.
Chloe stopped breathing.
"No.""
Melissa rushed forward.
"That's not accurate.""
Daniel looked at her.
"It came directly from the bank.""
"No.""
Chloe stared at the screen.
"Where's my money?""
Melissa's eyes filled with panic.
"It was invested.""
"In your business?""
Melissa said nothing.
Chloe screamed.
"YOU TOOK MINE TOO?""
Naomi jumped.
Chloe began sobbing.
"You told me Naomi's money was paying for everything!""
"I was protecting you.""
"From what?""
"From worrying!""
"You stole forty thousand dollars from me!""
"It isn't gone.""
"Then where is it?""
"The inventory has value.""
Eric shook his head.
"Not forty thousand.""
Melissa glared at him.
"Shut up!""
"No.""
Eric stood.
"You've lied enough.""
Melissa stared at him.
Eric looked at Daniel.
"The inventory is worth maybe twelve thousand if she liquidates it quickly.""
Chloe sank onto the sofa.
Naomi didn't know what to feel.
Part of her remembered Chloe laughing about the broken trophy.
Part of her remembered Chloe suggesting she use the ten-thousand-dollar prize to buy her a car.
But looking at her now, Naomi saw something else.
A girl who had spent years believing her mother favored her.
Only to discover Melissa had been taking from her too.
Daniel closed the laptop.
"This ends tonight.""
Melissa wiped her face.
"What does that mean?""
"It means you're not touching another account.""
"You can't control me.""
"No. But I can protect the girls.""
Melissa scoffed.
"Both girls?""
Daniel looked at Chloe.
"Yes.""
Chloe began crying harder.
Daniel continued.
"Whatever you've done, Chloe doesn't lose the money I contributed because of it. I'll work with the bank and attorneys.""
Naomi looked at her father.
He had every reason to be furious with Chloe.
She had forged his signature.
She had mocked Naomi.
She had helped Melissa hide things.
But Daniel still wasn't abandoning her.
That seemed to break Chloe completely.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Naomi looked at her.
Chloe stood.
"I'm sorry about your trophies.""
Naomi said nothing.
"I was jealous.""
Melissa rolled her eyes.
"Chloe, don't.""
Chloe turned.
"No. I'm done.""
Her voice shook.
"You kept telling me Naomi thought she was better than me.""
Melissa stared.
"You said Dad loved her more.""
"That's not what I said.""
"You said if I didn't stand up for myself, I'd get nothing.""
Naomi's chest tightened.
Chloe looked at her.
"Mom told me the shelf was proof.""
"What?""
"She said every trophy Dad put there meant he was choosing you.""
Naomi stared at Melissa.
The shelf.
Something so ordinary.
Something Daniel probably filled because he was proud of his daughter.
Melissa had turned it into evidence of a competition.
Chloe wiped her face.
"So I told her I wanted my stuff there instead.""
Naomi looked down at the broken trophy.
"And she agreed.""
Chloe nodded.
"I didn't think she'd throw everything into the garage.""
"You helped her.""
"I know.""
Naomi didn't forgive her.
Not yet.
Maybe not for a long time.
But for the first time, she understood part of what had happened.
Melissa had spent years feeding resentment in both directions.
Naomi looked at her stepmother.
"Why?""
Melissa stared back.
"Why what?""
"Why did you need us to hate each other?""
Melissa's lips parted.
No answer came.
Eric suddenly spoke.
"Because if you two compared notes, this would have fallen apart months ago.""
Everyone turned.
Melissa's face changed.
Daniel frowned.
"What does that mean?""
Eric looked toward Chloe.
"Melissa told Chloe that money spent on Naomi was the reason Chloe couldn't have more.""
Then he looked at Naomi.
"And she told Naomi the opposite.""
Naomi remembered.
Every time she had asked for something expensive, Melissa had mentioned Chloe's needs.
Braces.
Tuition.
Sports.
Car insurance.
Naomi had stopped asking.
Daniel's expression darkened.
"You were playing them against each other.""
Melissa shook her head.
"No.""
Eric continued.
"She needed both girls to believe money was tight.""
"Why?"" Daniel asked.
"Because otherwise somebody might notice where it was going.""
Melissa grabbed her purse again.
"I'm leaving.""
Daniel didn't stop her.
This time, Chloe didn't follow.
Melissa noticed.
"Chloe.""
Her daughter stayed seated.
"Come on.""
"No.""
Melissa stared.
"I'm your mother.""
Chloe wiped her cheeks.
"And you stole from me.""
"I was doing it for us.""
"No. You were doing it for you.""
Melissa's face hardened.
"Fine.""
She opened the front door.
Then Daniel said, "Leave your house key.""
Melissa turned.
"No.""
Daniel looked at her.
"Then I'll change the locks tonight.""
She stared at him.
After several seconds, she removed the key and threw it onto the floor.
The door slammed behind her.
Silence filled the house.
Daniel immediately picked up his phone.
"I'm calling Richard again.""
But Eric raised a hand.
"Before you do, there's something else.""
Daniel looked exhausted.
"What now?""
Eric pulled out his phone.
"Melissa sent me something two months ago.""
He scrolled.
"I thought it was just leverage in case you objected to the trustee change.""
Daniel frowned.
"What kind of leverage?""
Eric turned the screen toward him.
Naomi couldn't see it.
But Daniel could.
His face changed.
"What is this?""
Eric swallowed.
"A draft petition.""
"For what?""
Eric looked toward Naomi.
Then back at his brother.
"To have you declared financially incompetent to manage Naomi's trust.""
Naomi stared at him.
"What?""
Daniel's face went cold.
Eric continued.
"Melissa wasn't only planning to replace you as trustee.""
May you like
He looked directly at Daniel.
"She was preparing to argue that you weren't legally capable of protecting Naomi's money at all.""
