Chapter 13 - $487,000 Missing
By the end of the week, Jonah’s spreadsheet contained enough red numbers to frighten anyone.
“Four hundred eighty-seven thousand, six hundred twenty dollars,” he said.
Kendra stared across his conference table.
“That’s the total?”
“That is what I can support so far.”
Money had moved from Mercer Beauty through three channels.
Linden Advisory.
Unapproved management distributions.
Northstar-related expenses disguised as expansion costs.
Some payments were legitimate enough to blur the pattern.
Legal fees.
Broker fees.
Market studies.
But the purpose was not expansion of Mercer Beauty.
The purpose was acquisition of Dawson Row through Adrian’s separate company.
Kendra rubbed her forehead.
“So the salon paid to help Adrian personally buy the building the salon rents.”
“Yes.”
“Without my knowledge.”
“Yes.”
“And then Northstar would have collected rent from Mercer Beauty.”
“Yes.”
Jonah pushed another page toward her.
“And that is not the part I dislike most.”
Kendra looked down.
There were projected lease figures.
“What is this?”
“A draft lease between Northstar and Mercer Beauty.”
The rent was nearly double what Mercer Beauty currently paid the trust.
Kendra stared.
“Why would he do that to his own salon?”
“He owned fifty-one percent of the salon.”
“And one hundred percent of Northstar.”
“Exactly.”
Kendra understood.
Higher rent would move profit out of Mercer Beauty, where she owned forty-nine percent, into Northstar, where Adrian controlled everything.
“He was hollowing out the company.”
Jonah nodded.
“And transferring value to himself.”
Kendra felt nauseated.
This was not one bad decision.
It was architecture.
Adrian had been designing a system in which Kendra still appeared to own part of the salon while more and more of its value flowed somewhere she had no rights.
“What about Brielle?”
Jonah turned the page.
“Linden kept approximately fifteen thousand dollars for expenses attributable to her.”
“The rest?”
“Mostly passed through.”
“So she was a conduit.”
“A very exposed conduit.”
Kendra looked toward the window.
“She signed invoices for work she didn’t perform.”
“Yes.”
“She let Adrian control the account.”
“Yes.”
“Could she claim she didn’t know?”
Jonah shrugged slightly.
“That is a legal question. Financially, ignorance will be difficult to defend if she approved recurring invoices.”
Kendra nodded.
She wanted truth, not comfort.
Her phone buzzed.
Brielle.
A message.
I FOUND SOMETHING ELSE.
A photograph followed.
It was a handwritten page from Adrian’s notebook.
Numbers.
Dates.
Initials.
Kendra enlarged it.
KD — trustee removal.
BD — beneficiary pressure.
MB — restructure after close.
NW — condo.
Then one line:
Staff narrative already established: B = wife.
Kendra stared.
Her stomach turned.
He had written it as a strategy item.
Not romance.
Narrative.
Brielle called.
“I found the notebook in a box he left at my apartment.”
“Why was it there?”
“He kept clothes at my place.”
Kendra closed her eyes.
Even now, details could still stab.
“Send the entire notebook to your lawyer.”
“I already did.”
“Good.”
A pause.
“Kendra?”
“Yes?”
“He wrote about me like I was part of a plan.”
Kendra said nothing.
“He told me he loved me.”
“I’m sure he told himself whatever he needed to.”
“I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me.”
“Good.”
Brielle’s voice shook.
“I need you to know I understand now that I didn’t just betray you. I helped him.”
Kendra looked at Jonah’s spreadsheet.
“Yes.”
“I want to fix what I can.”
“You cannot fix my marriage.”
“I know.”
“You cannot make me forget opening that door.”
“I know.”
“You cannot make me trust you because you finally discovered he lied to you too.”
“I know.”
Kendra closed her eyes.
“But you can tell the truth.”
“I will.”
After the call, Jonah pointed to the notebook photograph.
“That line about staff narrative is useful.”
“For what?”
“It shows he had a reason for presenting Brielle as his wife beyond ego.”
Kendra frowned.
“What reason?”
Jonah tapped the next line.
KD trustee removal.
He leaned back.
“If Adrian wanted Brielle to petition against you, having multiple witnesses believe he and Brielle were living publicly as a couple could help him establish that his marriage to you had effectively collapsed earlier than you claim.”
“How does that help with the trust?”
“Not directly.”
Lena, who had been reading quietly, looked up.
“It helps his credibility.”
Kendra turned.
“How?”
“If Adrian portrayed you as an estranged spouse using the trust and salon to punish him and Brielle, he could frame the business dispute as retaliation.”
Kendra felt cold.
“He was building witnesses.”
“Possibly.”
“Paige.”
“Yes.”
“The staff dinner.”
“Yes.”
“The clients.”
“Yes.”
Adrian had not casually lied that Brielle was his wife.
He had repeated it until the lie had an audience.
Then Kendra remembered something.
Six months earlier, Adrian had repeatedly suggested they attend fewer salon events together.
He said employees behaved differently around owners’ spouses.
She had believed him.
Now Kendra understood.
He had needed her absent so Brielle could take her place.
May you like
Not only in his lap.
In his story.
