Chapter 10 - The Turncoat
By Thursday evening, Maya’s dining table was completely covered with bank statements, tax returns, and digital spreadsheets extracted from Seth’s laptop.
Maya was tapping furiously on her keyboard, cross-referencing company filings with the California Secretary of State database.
"It’s all here, Kallie," Maya said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Robert didn't just hide Seth’s assaults. He’s been siphoning money from Vance & Sons Holdings for nearly a decade. He’s been using corporate funds to pay for Seth’s sports cars, luxury vacations, and hush-money settlements, categorizing them as 'consulting expenses.' The board of directors has no idea. They think the company’s profit margins dipped because of the post-pandemic supply chain."
"Who on the board would listen to us?" I asked.
"Arthur Pendelton," a deep voice said from the doorway.
I spun around. Standing in the entrance of Maya’s apartment was my older cousin David—Aunt Clara’s eldest son and the vice president of operations at Vance & Sons.
I tensed up immediately, rising to my feet. "David? What are you doing here? Did my father send you?"
David held up both hands in surrender, stepping slowly into the room. He looked exhausted, his tie undone, dark circles under his eyes. "No, Kallie. Nobody sent me. I came on my own. Because I haven't slept a wink since Sunday."
"You were at that dinner, David," I said, my voice sharp and accusatory. "You were sitting right next to Seth when he slapped Paisley. You picked up your fork and kept eating your steak."
David flinched as if I had struck him. A look of deep, bitter shame washed over his face.
"I know," David whispered, staring at his shoes. "I know I did. And I hate myself for it. Kallie, Robert has held my career and my family’s livelihoods over our heads for twenty years. Every time someone disagreed with him, he threatened to fire them, ruin their credit, destroy their names. We were all terrified of him. But when I saw Paisley’s face that night... and when I saw you stand up to him without flinching... I realized how pathetic we all were."
He pulled a black leather binder from under his arm and placed it gently on the table.
"What is that?" Maya asked cautiously.
"The original corporate minutes from the board meeting five years ago," David said. "When Seth attacked that boy in San Diego. Robert told the board the $150,000 settlement was for a trade-secret patent dispute. Julian Cross forged the resolution, and Seth signed off on it. I’m the corporate secretary; I have the true, unredacted transcripts."
I stared at David, stunned. "Why are you giving this to me? If this comes out, Vance & Sons could collapse. Your job could disappear."
"My job doesn't matter if I have to sell my soul to keep it," David said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Paisley is my niece too. What Seth did to her was monstrous. And what Robert did to cover it up is criminal. Kallie, I’m done being an accomplice. Tell me what you need me to do."
May you like
I looked at the black binder, then at Maya, then at David.
The dam had broken. The Vance family dynasty was no longer cracking—it was crumbling from the inside out.