Chapter 4 - Unraveling the Rourke Legacy
The first crack in the foundation appeared at dinner on Thursday evening.
Caleb arrived home two hours late, his tie undone, his face pale and slick with sweat. He didn't even sit down before pouring himself three fingers of scotch.
"Mom," Caleb muttered, his voice trembling. "The payroll accounts for Rourke Logistics just bounced. The bank said there's an administrative hold from the Treasury."
Diane paused, her fork suspended in mid-air. "Don't be ridiculous, Caleb. Call Arthur at First National. He'll clear it up immediately."
"I called Arthur," Caleb stammered, looking around the opulent dining room as if the walls were closing in. "He said... he said the order came from the federal level. Someone flagged the origin of our secondary capital injection. They're auditing everything going back seven years."
Diane turned her piercing gaze directly onto me. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," I replied calmly, cutting a piece of roasted chicken. "I've been in bed resting, just like the doctor ordered. Isn't that right, Caleb?"
"She hasn't left the house, Mom!" Caleb yelled, panic cracking his voice. "It’s just a glitch! It has to be!"
"It isn't a glitch," I said, setting my fork down with a quiet clink against the fine porcelain. "My father knew that Rourke Logistics survived on under-the-table capital from shell accounts in the Caymans. When you forced your way into my trust fund, Caleb, you triggered an automatic audit protocol. My father's trust was wired directly to federal compliance monitoring."
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Diane stood up so fast her chair fell backward, clattering against the hardwood floor. "You little parasite! You trapped my son?!"
"Your son stole from his unborn daughter," I said, standing up to meet her eyes, no longer cowering, no longer hiding. "FAMILY MONEY STAYS WITH FAMILY, right Diane? Well, my father's money stays with HIS family."
