Chapter 7: Someone Had Forged My Name
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
My signature was on the ownership transfer.
My name was listed as the person authorizing it.
And Olivia's name appeared as the new controlling member of a company I had never even known existed until that afternoon.
Dad zoomed in on the document.
"Jasmine, did you ever sign anything related to Bennett Family Holdings?""
"No.""
"Did anyone ask you to sign documents at school?""
"No.""
"Did you give anyone permission to use your signature?""
I shook my head.
"Never.""
Dad looked at Monica.
"Who submitted this?""
She shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Stop lying.""
"I'm telling you the truth!""
He pointed at the filing.
"Someone accessed a company account, submitted a change of ownership, and forged my daughter's signature. You expect me to believe you know nothing?""
Monica wiped her cheeks.
"Daniel handled the paperwork.""
Dad went completely still.
"Daniel?""
"He said it was necessary to prepare the transfer.""
"Did you give him Jasmine's personal information?""
Monica didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
"Did you?""
She looked at me.
"I was trying to make sure Olivia had something secure for her future.""
I couldn't believe it.
"So you gave him my information?""
"Only what was necessary.""
"Like my signature?""
"Don't twist my words!""
Dad picked up his phone.
"I'm contacting the attorney again.""
Monica rushed toward him.
"Marcus, please. We can resolve this without involving outsiders.""
He stepped away from her.
"This stopped being a private family matter when you started forging documents.""
He called the attorney, Margaret Ellis, whose name appeared in my mother's trust papers.
After explaining what we had discovered, he put the call on speaker.
A calm female voice answered.
"Mr. Bennett, I've reviewed the documents you sent earlier. I was hoping there wouldn't be another issue.""
Dad frowned.
"What do you mean, another issue?""
There was a pause.
"Your wife contacted our office several months ago.""
Monica's face went white.
Dad looked directly at her.
"When?""
"Approximately six months ago," Margaret continued.
"She requested information about transferring the company's controlling interest to another family member.""
"Did you approve it?""
"Absolutely not. I explained that Jasmine's beneficiary rights could not be transferred without satisfying the conditions in the trust.""
I gripped the edge of the desk.
"What conditions?""
Margaret's voice softened.
"Jasmine, is that you?""
"Yes.""
"Your mother wanted you to have control of your future. The trust was designed to protect your interests until you reached adulthood. No one could simply remove you because they wanted to give your benefits to someone else.""
Dad looked at the filing.
"Then how was this transfer accepted?""
"It appears someone submitted a fraudulent amendment to the company's registration. We will need to investigate how it was processed.""
"Can it be reversed?""
"That will depend on the records and the relevant legal process. But there are immediate steps we can take to protect the trust and challenge the filing.""
Monica suddenly spoke.
"Margaret, you don't understand the situation.""
The attorney paused.
"Mrs. Bennett?""
"I was only trying to protect the family.""
Margaret's voice became firm.
"Mrs. Bennett, I advised you six months ago not to interfere with Jasmine's trust. You were specifically told that the beneficiary's rights were protected.""
Monica looked down.
Dad closed his eyes.
"You knew.""
Margaret continued.
"There's something else. When your wife contacted us, she also requested a copy of the original trust inventory.""
Dad frowned.
"Why?""
"She claimed there was a disagreement over the value of the property and wanted to understand the company's assets.""
I looked at the blue box.
"Was there anything else in the inventory?""
"Yes. The trust includes an investment account, several company assets, and a property interest. The full valuation is in the original file.""
Dad asked, "How much?""
Margaret hesitated.
"The last independent valuation was approximately six hundred and eighty thousand dollars, excluding certain future income.""
I sat down.
Six hundred and eighty thousand dollars.
My mother had built something for me.
Something she had wanted to protect even after she was gone.
And Monica had apparently spent months trying to take it.
Dad thanked Margaret and asked her to preserve the records.
Before ending the call, she added one final warning.
"Mr. Bennett, please don't confront anyone else involved until we have secured the documents. If someone has already attempted a fraudulent transfer, there may be other records we haven't discovered.""
The call ended.
Dad looked at me.
"We're going to get this sorted out.""
I nodded.
But Monica suddenly laughed.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It was bitter, almost desperate.
"You think you've won?""
Dad turned.
"What?""
"You think calling an attorney changes everything?""
"It changes enough.""
Monica shook her head.
"Daniel has copies of everything. Richard has already received money. There are agreements you haven't seen.""
Dad stepped closer.
"Then we'll find them.""
Monica looked at Olivia.
"Tell him.""
Olivia shook her head.
"Mom, please don't.""
"Tell him what happened at the office.""
I turned toward my stepsister.
"What office?""
Olivia covered her mouth.
Monica answered for her.
"Daniel took Olivia to sign some documents.""
Dad's expression hardened.
"How old was she?""
"She's eighteen.""
Olivia looked up.
"I didn't know what they were.""
Dad stared at her.
"What did you sign?""
Olivia started crying.
"Mom said they were school and banking forms.""
I felt sick.
"Did you sign anything about my company?""
"I didn't know!""
Monica grabbed her daughter's shoulders.
"Tell them the truth.""
Olivia began shaking.
"Daniel said I would be the new owner. He said it was only temporary until everything was settled.""
Dad looked furious.
"Why would you agree to that?""
"Because Mom told me Jasmine had already agreed!""
I stared at her.
"You knew I never agreed.""
Olivia looked at me.
"I know.""
"Then why did you do it?""
She broke down.
"Because I wanted something that was mine!""
Dad turned away.
He walked to the window and stood there, staring at the garden.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to ask Olivia how she could look at me every morning at breakfast and then help steal the future my mother had worked so hard to protect.
Instead, I asked one question.
"Did you know about the scholarship email?""
She nodded.
"Yes.""
"And the suitcase?""
She cried harder.
"Yes.""
I felt something inside me go quiet.
Not forgiveness.
Not anger.
Something colder.
"Then you knew exactly what you were doing.""
Olivia didn't answer.
Dad returned to the desk.
"Jasmine, I want you to take the original envelope and keep it somewhere safe.""
I placed the letter back inside.
Then I noticed another piece of paper tucked beneath the photographs.
It had been folded into four sections.
I opened it.
There were handwritten notes in my mother's handwriting.
At the top was a sentence:
If anyone tries to change the ownership of this company without Jasmine's consent, contact the person named below.
Beneath it was a telephone number.
And a name.
*Eleanor Brooks.*
The same woman Richard had identified as the prospective buyer.
I stared at the page.
"Dad...""
He read the name.
His expression changed.
"That's the buyer.""
I looked at him.
"Why would Mom want me to contact the woman trying to buy the house?""
Dad took the paper.
On the reverse side, my mother had written another sentence.
May you like
Eleanor knows what happened before I died. She has the original documents.
And suddenly, the woman we had believed was helping steal our home might have been the only person who could explain why someone had been so desperate to erase me from it.
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