Chapter 4 - Claire Owns an Account She Never Opened
The account held nearly eight million dollars.
Claire had never seen it.
Her name appeared as beneficial owner of a company called Seabrook
Consulting.
Her signature appeared on incorporation documents.
It was not hers.
Richard admitted he knew about Seabrook.
He claimed Thomas created it eighteen years earlier as part of an estate
strategy.
Martin corrected him.
“No. It started as an estate vehicle. That isn’t what it became.”
Richard glared at him.
Martin had spent years moving consulting revenue through Seabrook.
Some payments came from legitimate business.
Others came from companies seeking contracts with Richard’s shipping
group.
Claire’s name insulated Richard from direct ownership.
If regulators ever examined the payments, the paper trail pointed toward
her.
Claire felt physically ill.
“You used me as a shield.”
Richard answered too quickly.
“I never intended for you to be exposed.”
“That sentence is not helping.”
Vanessa finally spoke.
“She’s right.”
Claire turned.
Vanessa was not simply Richard’s lover.
She was an internal compliance attorney hired six months earlier after
irregular payments were discovered.
Claire stared at Richard.
“You were sleeping with the woman investigating you?”
Vanessa flinched.
“It started after I confronted him.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“Some investigation.”
Vanessa accepted the insult.
Then she said:
“But the affair is not why I’m afraid.”
She opened her phone.
That morning, someone had transferred almost all eight million dollars
out of Seabrook.
The authorization used Claire’s forged digital signature.
If the transfer completed, Claire could appear to have emptied the
account immediately before an audit.
Richard whispered:
“I was trying to stop it.”
Claire looked at him.
“Then why were you on a yacht?”
May you like
Martin answered.
“Because the yacht has the original transaction server.”
