Chapter 2 - HE HAD MONEY WHILE I WAS WORKING TWO JOBS
The party ended in twelve minutes.
Not officially.
The music never restarted.
People simply began leaving because once a birthday party becomes a financial confession, nobody knows whether they are still expected to eat cake.
Julian followed me into the kitchen.
“You humiliated me.”
I laughed.
The sound surprised even me.
“You compared my postpartum body to Selina’s in front of fifty people.”
“That was a joke.”
“And this was accounting.”
His face hardened.
“You had no right to discuss my termination.”
I stared.
“I paid the settlement.”
“You chose to.”
That sentence killed something.
Not dramatically.
Quietly.
I had spent two years telling myself Julian understood what I sacrificed.
He didn’t.
To him, my sacrifice was simply something I had chosen.
Then Ethan entered.
“Claire, those deposits aren’t what you think.”
“Excellent. Explain.”
Silence.
Mercer Strategic Advisory had received approximately $132,000 during the previous twelve months.
Meanwhile, I was covering:
Mortgage.
Daycare.
Health insurance.
Groceries.
Utilities.
Julian’s car.
His country-club membership, which he insisted helped him “network.”
I had asked him repeatedly if consulting was producing income.
He always answered:
“Nothing meaningful yet.”
Eleven thousand dollars a month sounded meaningful to me.
“Where did the money go?”
Julian crossed his arms.
“Business development.”
“For what business?”
Another silence.
Then Selina entered.
She had changed out of her swimsuit and wrapped herself in a robe.
For the first time all afternoon, Julian did not look at her body.
Interesting.
Selina looked at Ethan.
“Answer her.”
“This is family business.”
“I married into this family three months ago.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
Selina continued:
“You told me Mercer Strategic was dormant.”
“It mostly is.”
“Then where does eleven thousand dollars a month go?”
Nobody answered.
I opened my phone.
“Would you like me to?”
Julian stared.
I had spent three weeks tracing what I legally could from our shared records and documents Julian had left in our home office.
Recurring payments went to:
A private club.
Two luxury-car leases.
Travel.
Restaurant bills.
Then one larger monthly transfer:
$6,000.
Recipient:
Mercer Lakeside Ventures LLC.
Selina frowned.
“What is that?”
Ethan looked toward Julian.
Wrong move.
Selina saw it.
I said:
“A company formed eight months ago.”
Ownership:
Julian Mercer — 45%.
Ethan Mercer — 45%.
Carol Mercer — 10%.
Their mother.
All three had secretly invested in a new business while telling me Julian had no income.
Then Selina whispered:
“What business?”
I opened the property record.
“A private lake resort.”
Her expression changed completely.
“Lake resort?”
“Yes.”
She stared at Ethan.
May you like
“You told me that property belonged to a client.”
Apparently, the brothers had been lying to both wives.
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