Chapter 4 - THE $46,600 QUESTION
Monday morning, I met with my controller and outside accountant.
By lunch, the number had grown.
The three Kyle payments were only part of it.
Over twenty-two months, Daniel had submitted $96,400 in reimbursements, consulting invoices, travel costs, and “relationship development” expenses through Meridian.
Some were legitimate.
Many were not.
Golf with clients?
Legitimate.
A three-night conference in Dallas?
Legitimate.
Patricia’s property insurance?
Not legitimate.
Megan’s rehearsal dinner deposit?
Definitely not legitimate.
Kyle’s “market research”?
A weekend in Las Vegas.
Also not legitimate.
My accountant, Susan, removed her glasses.
“Did you approve any of these?”
“Some reimbursements in batches.”
“Meaning?”
“Daniel sometimes emailed receipts to my former assistant. She categorized them before I reviewed monthly summaries.”
Susan nodded.
“He used volume.”
Exactly.
Hide small personal expenses among dozens of real ones.
I felt stupid.
Then I stopped myself.
Trusting my husband was not stupidity.
Continuing after discovering the truth would be.
“How much is clearly personal?”
“About forty-six thousand six hundred.”
The number from the title in my head.
$46,600.
Enough to make Daniel explode over my father’s $600 one hundred and fifty-five times.
That evening, I printed everything.
Daniel came home at seven.
Patricia arrived ten minutes later.
Apparently, I wasn’t allowed to discuss our marriage without an audience anymore.
She sat at the island.
“What is this about?”
I looked at Daniel.
“You tell her.”
He frowned.
“Tell her what?”
I slid the first invoice across the counter.
Kyle’s consulting company.
Then Patricia’s insurance.
Then Megan’s wedding deposit.
Daniel’s face changed.
Patricia picked up the papers.
“This is private.”
“No. These were charged to my company.”
“Our family helped build your success,” she said.
I looked at her.
“How?”
She hesitated.
Exactly.
Daniel stepped in.
“I was going to reimburse Meridian.”
“When?”
“When things settled.”
“What things?”
He didn’t answer.
I opened my spreadsheet.
“In four years, I paid $25,440 toward your mother’s property taxes and related expenses.”
Patricia’s mouth tightened.
“Daniel asked you to.”
“Yes.”
“Then take it up with him.”
“I am.”
I turned the page.
“$18,700 for Kyle.”
Kyle wasn’t there, but Patricia visibly bristled.
“$13,900 connected to Megan’s wedding and honeymoon.”
“That was a family event.”
“My parents attended.”
She stared.
I continued.
“Total support to your family over the last five years: $63,420 from my personal funds.”
Daniel said:
“We’re married. Stop calling it your money.”
I almost laughed.
“You started this conversation.”
Silence.
I placed one final receipt on top.
“My father’s dental treatment: six hundred dollars.”
Nobody spoke.
“For that,” I said quietly, “you called me irresponsible.”
Daniel’s voice softened.
“I overreacted.”
“You called my parents a burden.”
“I was angry.”
“You announced that your money was yours.”
“I know.”
“And mine was mine.”
“I know.”
I looked toward Patricia.
“She said you were finally setting boundaries.”
Patricia stood.
“I’m not going to sit here and be audited.”
“That’s fine.”
She grabbed her purse.
Then I said:
“But before you leave, you should know the automatic payment for your property taxes is permanently canceled.”
She spun around.
“You can’t do that.”
“It comes from my account.”
“Daniel!”
He looked exhausted.
“I’ll handle it.”
I nodded.
“That’s appropriate.”
Patricia left.
Daniel waited until the front door slammed.
Then turned toward me.
“You enjoyed that.”
“No.”
“You absolutely did.”
“I enjoyed finally understanding what I’ve been paying for.”
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“This is getting out of control.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“For the first time, it’s controlled.”
My phone buzzed.
Susan.
One sentence:
CALL ME. I FOUND AN ACCOUNT YOU NEED TO SEE.
Five minutes later, she told me Daniel’s reimbursements were not the biggest problem.
Someone had created a second company with a name almost identical to mine.
May you like
Meridian Strategic Group LLC.
And more than $280,000 had passed through it in eighteen months.
