Chapter 3 - The Secret Behind My Mother's Business
I read the account number three times.
It belonged to Nia's interior decorating business.
My mother had started the company two years earlier.
She called it Golden Nest Interiors.
Our garage had been converted into a showroom.
There were expensive fabric samples, designer lamps, and beautiful furniture pieces that my mother loved showing visitors.
I remembered the launch party.
The catered food.
The photographs.
Marcus standing beside her, proudly announcing that they were building something special together.
Now I wondered whose money had paid for it.
"Tasha," I whispered, "did you ever agree to this?"
She shook her head.
"I didn't even know the account could be used like that."
I studied the notice.
It identified Marcus as trustee.
That meant he had been responsible for managing the money according to the trust's rules.
At least, that was what Grandma Evelyn had always told Tasha.
But I didn't understand how much authority he actually had.
And suddenly I wished I had paid more attention during the family conversations I usually ignored.
Grandma Evelyn arrived twenty minutes later.
She was sixty-eight, with short gray curls and gentle eyes.
The moment she saw Tasha, she opened her arms.
My sister ran into them.
"Oh, baby," Evelyn whispered.
Tasha began crying again.
I stood beside them, feeling helpless.
Evelyn looked at me.
"Come here too, Maya."
I didn't expect that.
But when she hugged me, something inside me broke.
I had spent the morning fighting my parents.
I hadn't realized how badly I needed an adult to tell me I was safe.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
Evelyn pulled back.
"For what?"
"For not noticing sooner."
She touched my cheek.
"You're seventeen. You weren't responsible for managing Tasha's inheritance."
"But I knew they treated her differently."
"Knowing something is unfair isn't the same as understanding how far it goes."
I nodded.
She turned toward Tasha.
"Show me the notice."
We spread the documents across a table inside the coffee shop.
Evelyn examined each page.
Her expression grew increasingly serious.
Finally, she removed a small folder from her handbag.
"I brought copies of the original trust documents."
I leaned closer.
Renee had established the trust shortly before she died.
Her life insurance proceeds were to be preserved for Tasha's education and certain essential expenses.
Marcus had been named trustee while Tasha was young.
The trust allowed education-related distributions before age twenty-one.
But unrelated spending was prohibited.
At twenty-one, Tasha would receive the remaining funds outright.
I listened carefully.
"So Marcus wasn't supposed to use it for anything else?"
"That's correct," Evelyn said.
"What about family expenses?"
"Not unless the trust specifically permitted them."
I looked at Tasha.
She stared at the paperwork with an expression I couldn't describe.
Grief.
Anger.
Disbelief.
All mixed together.
Evelyn touched her hand.
"Your mother wanted this money to give you choices."
Tasha's lip trembled.
"She worked so hard."
"I know, sweetheart."
"She thought it would help me go to college."
"It still should."
Tasha looked down.
"But there's almost nothing left."
Evelyn's voice became firm.
"We're not assuming that money is gone forever. We're going to find out exactly what happened."
She took out her phone.
"I called an attorney yesterday when I saw the transactions."
I looked up.
"You already knew?"
"I knew something was wrong. I didn't know about the car."
She paused.
"His name is Daniel Brooks. He handles trusts and estate disputes."
Tasha wiped her eyes.
"Do we have to go to court?"
"Possibly. But first we need records."
I watched Evelyn carefully.
Unlike my parents, she wasn't demanding that we stop asking questions.
She wasn't telling Tasha to be grateful.
She was treating her like someone whose future mattered.
We left the coffee shop and drove to Evelyn's house.
It was smaller than ours.
There were no designer decorations or expensive chandeliers.
But the moment we stepped inside, I felt more welcome than I had felt at home all morning.
Photographs covered the hallway.
Renee smiling in her nursing uniform.
Renee holding baby Tasha.
Renee standing beside Evelyn at a family picnic.
Tasha stopped in front of one photograph.
Her mother had her arms around her.
They were both laughing.
I watched my sister touch the frame.
"I barely remember her voice anymore," she whispered.
Evelyn came beside her.
"She had the most beautiful laugh."
Tasha smiled through her tears.
"I wish she were here."
Evelyn kissed her forehead.
"She would be very proud of you."
I looked away.
My throat hurt.
For years, I had watched my mother treat Tasha like an unwanted responsibility.
I had never fully understood how lonely that must have felt.
She had lost her biological mother.
And the woman who was supposed to become another source of love had made her feel like a burden.
That afternoon, attorney Daniel Brooks arrived.
He was calm, patient, and careful with his words.
He explained that the transfers were deeply concerning but needed proper investigation.
He requested copies of the trust agreement, the bank notices, and any communications involving Marcus.
Then he asked Tasha a question.
"Has your father ever asked you to sign documents related to the trust?"
She hesitated.
"Maybe."
My stomach tightened.
"When?"
"A few months ago. He said the bank needed updated information."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Do you remember what you signed?"
"No. He only showed me the last page."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
I stared at Tasha.
"Did he give you a copy?"
She shook her head.
"He said I didn't need one."
Daniel made a note.
"We'll request those records."
Then he looked at me.
"Maya, have your parents ever asked you to sign anything involving the vehicle?"
"No."
"Good. Don't sign anything without independent advice."
I nodded.
He explained that the SUV's ownership and payment trail would also need review.
The vehicle might be registered to Marcus.
But that wouldn't explain whether the trust funds had been used appropriately.
After Daniel left, my phone began ringing.
Mom.
I ignored it.
She called again.
Then Marcus.
Then Mom again.
Finally, a message appeared.
"Come home immediately. We need to talk as a family."
I showed it to Evelyn.
She shook her head.
"You don't have to discuss financial documents tonight."
I felt relieved.
Then another message appeared.
This one was from Nia.
"Your sister is destroying our family. Don't let her turn you against us."
I stared at the words.
Then I looked at Tasha.
She was sitting on the sofa, holding a photograph of Renee.
I typed my reply.
"Tasha didn't destroy anything. You and Marcus need to explain where her money went."
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
A minute later, Mom sent another message.
"If you stay there tonight, don't expect your birthday gifts to be waiting when you return."
I almost laughed.
After everything that had happened, she still believed a car could control me.
I turned off my phone.
But Tasha was staring at the papers again.
"Maya," she whispered.
"What?"
She pointed toward a signature on one of the bank forms.
It was supposed to be hers.
Except she had never signed it.
May you like
And the date beside it was the day she had been in the hospital having emergency surgery for appendicitis.
Someone had used her name while she was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
