Chapter 3 - WHO REALLY PAID?I read the message five times.
Ask Matt.
Why Matt?
I called him.
Straight to voicemail.
I sent one text.
We need to talk. Alone.
He didn't answer.
So I did something I had avoided for years.
I went to his house.
He opened the door wearing the same hoodie he had posted online the day before.
His face changed when he saw me.
“What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“I think you do.”
He looked over my shoulder.
“Are you recording this?”
“No.”
He hesitated.
Then stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
“You canceled the cruise.”
“Yes.”
“You humiliated everyone.”
“You're still thinking about the cruise?”
“What else should I think about?”
“The $18,500.”
His expression changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
“What $18,500?”
“Don't.”
He looked away.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Then why did Dad tell me not to investigate the card?”
Matt went pale.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“You need to leave.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“I can't.”
“Can't or won't?”
He looked at me.
For the first time, my brother looked scared.
Then his phone buzzed.
He checked the screen.
His eyes widened.
“Who is it?”
“No one.”
I held out my hand.
He stepped backward.
“Matt.”
“Go home.”
“Who is threatening you?”
Nobody answered.
Then he whispered:
“You don't understand what Dad has done.”
I froze.
“What has Dad done?”
Matt looked toward the house.
“I shouldn't have said that.”
“Tell me.”
He shook his head.
“I can't.”
“Then at least answer one question.”
He looked at me.
“Who really paid for the cruise?”
His jaw tightened.
“Your credit card.”
“No.”
He said nothing.
“Someone else paid something.”
Still silence.
I stepped closer.
“Matt, who?”
He finally looked me directly in the eyes.
“Lauren.”
I laughed.
“That makes no sense.”
“She paid the booking deposit.”
“With what money?”
Matt didn't answer.
I understood.
“Dad?”
He nodded.
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
My smile vanished.
“Twenty thousand dollars?”
Matt nodded.
“But Lauren told me her bonus was late.”
“I know.”
“She begged me to put the deposit on my card.”
“I know.”
“Then where did her money come from?”
Matt looked sick.
“You don't want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No.”
I grabbed his arm.
“Matt.”
He pulled away.
“Three months ago, Dad moved money.”
“From where?”
He whispered:
“Grandma's account.”
My stomach turned.
“What?”
“Grandma's savings.”
“That makes no sense.”
“She trusted Dad.”
I stared at him.
“How much?”
Matt looked down.
“More than $100,000.”
The world seemed to tilt.
Grandma wasn't wealthy enough to casually lose that much.
“Did Dad steal it?”
Matt shook his head.
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“He said it was an investment.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“You're lying.”
“I swear.”
Then the front door opened.
Lauren stood there.
Her eyes were fixed on me.
“Get away from my husband.”
I turned.
“You knew.”
She froze.
“Knew what?”
“That Dad took money from Grandma.”
Her face drained of color.
Matt closed his eyes.
“Lauren…”
She looked at him.
“You promised you wouldn't tell him.”
There it was.
The sentence hung between us.
I stared at her.
“You just admitted it.”
Lauren looked terrified.
Then she whispered:
“You have to understand. It wasn't supposed to get this far.”
“What wasn't?”
She didn't answer.
“What did Dad use the money for?”
She looked at Matt.
He shook his head.
“Tell him,” Lauren whispered.
“No.”
“Matt, tell him.”
He looked at me.
“The company.”
“What company?”
Dad's company.
I knew he owned a small construction business.
It was never huge.
But it had always been profitable.
At least that's what I thought.
“What happened to it?”
Matt swallowed.
“It was almost bankrupt.”
“When?”
“Two years ago.”
My mind raced.
Then all those vacations.
New cars.
Luxury dinners.
Renovations.
My family had been pretending everything was fine.
But it wasn't.
Dad had been covering losses.
Using Grandma's money.
Using Lauren's money.
And apparently using mine.
I looked at Lauren.
“How did my card get added as an authorized user?”
She didn't answer.
“Lauren.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
“That isn't an answer.”
She whispered:
“Dad said he'd fix everything.”
“Fix what?”
She looked at me.
“The debt.”
“What debt?”
Then she said the words that changed everything.
“Your card wasn't used to pay for the cruise.”
May you like
She took a breath.
“It was used to pay Dad's debt.”
