Chapter 3 - The Financial Audit-3
Twenty-four hours after Mark was dragged out of the hospital, I was officially discharged from the military medical center.
A sleek black government sedan escorted by two military police vehicles took me and baby Maya to a private, gated compound in Lake Oswego—a secure estate owned by my late grandfather’s trust, equipped with state-of-the-art security, private medical staff, and round-the-clock guards.
While Maya slept in her nursery upstairs, I sat in the study with Arthur Pendelton and my chief financial analyst, Captain David Vance (no relation to Victoria).
"Colonel," Captain Vance said, opening a thick leather binder on the mahogany desk. "We’ve completed the initial forensic audit of Mark’s personal and business financial activities over the last twelve months."
"What did you find?" I asked, sipping a cup of warm tea.
"It’s far worse than simple infidelity, ma'am," Captain Vance revealed, turning the binder toward me. "Mark’s architectural consulting firm, Vance Design Group, has been insolvent for over a year. To keep his firm afloat, he secretly forged your signature on three separate commercial loan applications totaling $1.2 million."
My eyes narrowed. "He forged my signature?"
"Yes, ma'am," Pendelton chimed in. "He used your military officer status and listed your grandfather's estate trust as collateral—assuming that because you were married, he could bypass verification. He was using the loan money to pay for Victoria Vance’s luxury apartment, her lease on a Porsche, and high-end trips to Miami."
I looked at the bank transfer records. The dates matched perfectly. Every time Mark told me he was "working late on a client proposal," he was transferring twenty thousand dollars from a fraudulent credit line into Victoria's personal accounts.
He hadn't just cheated on me. He had actively attempted to steal my inheritance to fund his mistress’s lifestyle while leaving me to pay off his fraudulent debts.
"Does the bank know the signatures are forged?" I asked.
"Not yet," Pendelton said with a cold smile. "The lenders believe you are the primary guarantor. They are scheduled to execute a automatic default notice on Mark's business account tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
I set my teacup down, a sharp, decisive plan taking shape in my mind.
"Don't notify the bank about the forgery yet, Arthur," I instructed.
Pendelton raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why, Colonel?"
"Because if we notify them now, it becomes a standard civil fraud dispute that his insurance might cover," I explained coldly. "I want the lender to issue an immediate asset seizure against his business assets first. I want Mark to watch every desk, computer, and drawing board in his office stripped away by court bailiffs."
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"And then?" Captain Vance asked.
"And then," I smiled, "we file federal criminal charges for identity theft, bank fraud, and military trust forgery. Let him experience what it feels like to have the floor fall out beneath him with zero warning."
