Toby was exactly seven years old today.
Exactly seven years ago, Douglas had suddenly started coming home late from work, taking endless business trips, withdrawing cash from their joint accounts, and showing an strange level of concern for Brenda and her child.
Grace watched the three of them happily climb into the exact same vehicle together.
Suddenly, she realized that she was not merely watching a cheap extramarital affair.
She was staring directly at her husband’s secret second family that had existed for years right under her nose.
And the only question left to answer was how much of her own hard earned money Douglas had stolen to finance that double life over all those years.
PART 3
Grace arrived at her executive office long before eight o’clock the following morning. She had barely managed to sleep an hour, but her mind was remarkably clear: first, she would permanently block the financial doorway through which Douglas had tried to steal the money; then, she would handle her failing marriage once and for all.
Gavin, Sharon, the corporate attorney, and the external auditor were all waiting for her inside the conference room.
The accumulated evidence was more than sufficient to take action. The fraudulent contract had originated from Trevor’s desktop computer, and all the administrative seals had been digitally copied from internal files. Furthermore, Trevor had repeatedly inquired about available corporate funds, and the audio recording clearly proved that Douglas had promised him four hundred thousand dollars in exchange for Grace’s signature.
“Completely block his access to our corporate financial network right now,” Grace instructed her IT director. “And then bring him in here.”
Trevor walked into the room twenty minutes later and turned completely pale when he saw the executive team waiting for him.
The corporate attorney placed the fraudulent document directly in front of him.
“Explain to us right now where this document came from,” Gavin demanded coldly.
“It was an urgent strategic request from top management,” Trevor stammered nervously.
Gavin crossed his arms and stared at the young executive.
“I am the chief executive officer of this enterprise, and I never requested this contract,” Gavin stated.
Grace leaned forward and looked straight into Trevor’s trembling eyes.
“Did my husband Douglas ask you to process this paperwork?” Grace asked directly.
Trevor reacted far too quickly to defend himself.
“I have absolute no idea what you are talking about,” Trevor claimed desperately.
Grace pulled out her phone and played the crystal clear audio recording for the entire room to hear.
“You will get paid the four hundred thousand dollars as soon as she signs that document…” Douglas’s voice echoed through the speakers.
Trevor closed his eyes tightly as his face drained of all remaining color.
“He promised me that the money actually belonged to him,” Trevor confessed in a shaky voice. “He claimed that he had invested heavily in your business years ago and that the assets were held in your name purely for legal convenience.”
“Douglas has never been a financial partner in this firm, and he never put a single penny into this business,” Grace stated firmly.
Trevor lowered his head in deep embarrassment.
“I honestly did not know that,” Trevor whispered quietly.
“But you certainly knew that you were using forged executive signatures to bypass security,” Grace pointed out.
After a few tense seconds of heavy silence, Trevor finally confessed every single detail of the operation. He had originally met Douglas at a local fitness center a few years ago. At first, they simply engaged in casual conversations, but Douglas soon began asking detailed questions about how Grace authorized corporate contracts, what spending limits she maintained, and when the firm held the highest cash reserves.
Later on, Brenda was introduced to the plan to provide the official bank details for Horizon Growth Solutions.
“He promised me four hundred thousand dollars as soon as the initial wire went through,” Trevor explained.
“And where was the rest of the three point two million dollars supposed to go?” Grace asked.
“Brenda was going to keep a portion of it, and the rest was going directly to Douglas,” Trevor admitted.
“Why did he need that exact amount of cash?” Grace pressed.
“To buy a brand new luxury house,” Trevor answered honestly.
Grace took a deep, steadying breath before asking her next question.
“A home with Brenda?” Grace inquired.
“Yes,” Trevor replied quietly.
“And what about the child, Toby?” Grace asked.
Trevor looked completely bewildered by her question.
“I honestly thought you already knew that Toby was Douglas’s biological son,” Trevor stated softly.
That single sentence left the entire conference room in absolute, suffocating silence.
Grace did not shed a single tear as she processed the information.
“Write down every single detail you know on paper,” Grace instructed coldly. “Include dates, secret meetings, text messages, verbal instructions, and exact money amounts.”
Trevor tried one last time to defend his actions.
“I did not actually steal any money from the firm because the wire transfer never went through,” Trevor argued weakly.
“That transfer failed only because I refused to sign that sheet, not because you had a sudden change of heart,” Grace reminded him sharply.
When human resources personnel escorted Trevor out of the building, Gavin asked Grace if she needed to take the rest of the day off to rest.
“Not just yet,” Grace replied firmly.
That afternoon, Grace carefully reviewed all of her personal bank accounts and credit statements. She immediately canceled the secondary credit card that Douglas had been using for years under the excuse of managing household expenses, and she officially revoked all legal powers of attorney she had previously granted him.
At seven o’clock that evening, Douglas called her phone in a state of agitation.
“My credit card was just declined at a store,” Douglas complained loudly.
“I went ahead and canceled that account today,” Grace answered calmly.
“Why on earth would you do something like that without telling me?” Douglas demanded.
“I am completely reorganizing my personal expenses,” Grace explained.
“Grace, I am currently stuck at a local gas station with an empty tank,” Douglas snapped.
“You have your own personal checking account to cover your fuel,” Grace reminded him.
“I have almost no available balance left on my private cards,” Douglas admitted nervously.
“Then simply fill your tank with whatever small amount you can personally afford right now,” Grace replied.
Douglas remained quiet on the line for a long moment.
“We are supposed to be a family,” Douglas said softly.
“I will see you back at the house,” Grace said before ending the call.
When Douglas finally arrived home, he stormed into the living room full of anger.
“Does this sudden card cancellation have anything to do with that delayed business contract?” Douglas asked angrily.
Grace turned around slowly to face her husband.
“What specific contract are you referring to?” Grace asked quietly.
Douglas hesitated for a split second, realizing his mistake.
“The one you said was delayed at your office,” Douglas stammered awkwardly.
“I never told you the name of the vendor or any details about that transaction,” Grace pointed out directly.
Douglas forced a very awkward smile onto his face.
“I must have gotten confused with something else,” Douglas claimed quickly.
Grace decided to push him a little bit further.
“Have you seen Brenda Cole anytime recently?” Grace asked smoothly.
“No, I have not seen her in at least a year and a half,” Douglas lied without blinking.
Grace immediately recalled the sight of Brenda kissing him on the mouth and little Toby calling him daddy.
“I understand,” Grace said softly.
Early the next morning, Grace placed a direct phone call to Brenda.
“I need you to come over to my house tomorrow afternoon,” Grace stated directly.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
“Will Douglas be there at the house with you?” Brenda asked cautiously.
“Yes, he will definitely be here,” Grace confirmed.
“Grace, you are really starting to scare me,” Brenda admitted nervously.
“Make sure you bring Toby along with you,” Grace added calmly.
“Why should I bring my son to your home?” Brenda asked suspiciously.
“Because it is finally time for the entire family to gather together in the exact same room,” Grace answered firmly.
The following afternoon, Grace ordered a fresh pizza for the young boy and set up a tablet in a quiet upstairs bedroom. Toby certainly did not need to sit through the complex business matters of dishonest adults.
Douglas arrived home carrying a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers for Grace.
“Are we expecting company this afternoon?” Douglas asked, looking around the living room.
The front doorbell rang loudly before Grace could answer him.
“Our guests have finally arrived,” Grace announced calmly.
Grace opened the front door to reveal Brenda standing on the porch holding Toby’s hand.
Douglas walked out of the kitchen and froze like a statue the moment he saw them.
The little boy smiled brightly and immediately ran toward Douglas with open arms.
“Daddy!” Toby shouted happily.
Grace felt a deep emotional blow hit her chest, even though she already knew the complete truth.
She kindly escorted Toby upstairs to enjoy his pizza and watch cartoons, and then she returned to sit the two adults down at the dining table. She placed a full copy of the fraudulent contract right in front of Brenda.
“What specific strategic service was your firm planning to provide to my company for four point eight million dollars?” Grace asked directly.
Brenda turned her head and glared at Douglas with deep anger.
“You swore to me that your wife had already agreed to this payment structure!” Brenda yelled at him.
“Brenda, please just keep your mouth shut,” Douglas muttered through clenched teeth.
“No,” Grace interrupted firmly. “Nobody is going to stay quiet in this room today.”
Brenda explained that Douglas had repeatedly assured her that the corporate payment was simply a legal way for him to reclaim his past financial investments in Grace’s firm, claiming that a huge portion of the enterprise actually belonged to him.
Grace immediately pulled out the official corporate formation documents and laid them on the table.
“He was never a legal partner, he never contributed a single dollar of capital, and he never lent any money to the firm,” Grace proved clearly. “It was an absolute lie from start to finish.”
Brenda turned completely pale as she looked at Douglas.
“Douglas… how could you lie to me like this?” Brenda whispered in horror.
“Legally speaking, the business structure is far more complicated than that,” Douglas tried to argue.
“No, it is actually very simple,” Grace corrected him. “You deliberately planned to steal millions of dollars from a company that does not belong to you using my personal signature.”
Brenda slammed her hand onto the wooden table in outrage.
“You promised me that we would pay off the new house in Interlomas using that exact transfer money!” Brenda screamed at Douglas.
“We are still going to pay for the home, so just calm down,” Douglas insisted desperately.
“With what money?” Grace interjected smoothly. “Are you going to create another fake contract to steal from someone else?”
Douglas completely lost his patience and stood up from his chair.
“I simply wanted to recover what was rightfully mine after spending twenty long years married to you!” Douglas shouted at Grace.
