Chapter 7: The Secret Woman Behind the Money
Calvin didn't answer Patricia immediately.
He stood in the hallway, holding his phone against his ear, staring at my mother.
Denise looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.
“Calvin,” Patricia repeated through the speaker.
“I'm waiting for an explanation.””
He swallowed.
“Patricia, this isn't a good time.””
“Then make it a good time. Why did you send my daughter money from Denise's account?””
My mother stepped forward.
“Patricia, what is she talking about?””
Calvin covered the microphone.
“Denise, please. Let me handle this.””
“No.””
“Baby, listen—”
“Don't call me baby. Answer the question.””
He turned away.
I took my mother's phone and placed the transaction record on the dining table.
“Mom, do you know how much was transferred?””
She shook her head.
I zoomed in.
There were three transactions.
$8,000.
$6,500.
$4,000.
A total of $18,500.
All sent to the same recipient.
*Alyssa Bell.*
My mother stared at the name.
“Who is Alyssa Bell?””
Calvin ended the call.
Nobody spoke.
Then he slipped his phone into his pocket.
“It's a family matter.””
I looked at him.
“Whose family?””
He glared at me.
“Stay out of it.””
My mother grabbed the edge of the table.
“Is she your daughter?””
Calvin looked away.
That was answer enough.
Denise sat down slowly.
“You have a daughter?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“She's grown.””
“How old?””
“Twenty-six.””
My mother let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
“You have a daughter who's twenty-six, and you've never mentioned her?””
“I didn't think it was important.””
I stared at him.
“You didn't think your child was important enough to mention while you were planning to marry my mother?””
Calvin pointed at me.
“Don't twist this.””
Denise lifted her head.
“Why did you send her my money?””
He sighed.
“She was having financial difficulties.””
“So you gave her eighteen thousand five hundred dollars?””
“She needed help.””
“And you didn't think I deserved to know?””
He stepped closer.
“Denise, we're supposed to be building a life together. I thought you would understand that helping my daughter was helping our family.””
My mother looked at the transaction record again.
“Then why did you tell me the account was empty?””
He didn't answer.
I opened the banking application again.
“Mom, there are more transactions.””
She turned toward me.
“What?””
I scrolled.
There were several smaller transfers.
$450.
$1,200.
$700.
All made over the previous two months.
Some had descriptions.
Rent assistance.
Car insurance.
Emergency expenses.
My mother stared at the screen.
“Were these all for Alyssa?””
Calvin folded his arms.
“Some.””
“Some?””
He raised his voice.
“Look, she's my daughter! I have responsibilities!””
My mother flinched.
“And I'm not your family?””
He immediately softened.
“That's not what I meant.””
“Then what did you mean?””
He walked toward her.
“Denise, I was going to tell you everything after the wedding.””
I looked at him.
“After the wedding? When you would have access to even more of her money?””
His face hardened.
“You really need to shut your mouth.””
My mother stood.
“Don't speak to my son like that.””
Calvin stared at her.
For several seconds, he seemed unable to believe what he had heard.
Then he laughed.
“You're defending him now?””
“I'm asking you to tell me the truth.””
“I've told you the truth!””
“No, Calvin. You've told me whatever you needed me to believe.””
She walked to the kitchen counter and picked up the engagement ring box.
It was a small velvet box.
She had shown it to me only once, two weeks earlier.
She had been so excited.
She had told me Calvin wanted to make their engagement official at a family dinner.
Now she held the box like it was something dirty.
“Did you buy this ring with my money?””
Calvin looked at it.
“Of course not.””
“Then show me the receipt.””
He hesitated.
“Denise—”
“Show me the receipt.””
He looked toward the spare bedroom.
“I don't have it with me.””
My mother nodded slowly.
“Of course you don't.””
At 6:15 p.m., Patricia arrived.
She entered without knocking.
Behind her was a young woman wearing a gray coat and carrying a large handbag.
The woman looked nervous.
She had dark hair tied into a ponytail and kept glancing toward the hallway.
Patricia pointed at Calvin.
“Tell Denise who she is.””
Calvin's face turned pale.
“Patricia, what are you doing?””
The young woman stepped forward.
“Dad?””
My mother closed her eyes.
I looked at the woman.
Alyssa.
The recipient of the money.
Calvin's daughter.
Patricia put her handbag on the dining table.
“Denise, this is Alyssa. And before you ask, I had no idea he was taking money from your account.””
Alyssa looked at my mother.
“I'm sorry.””
Denise's voice was barely audible.
“Did you know where the money came from?””
Alyssa shook her head.
“He told me it was from his business.””
Calvin interrupted.
“That's enough.””
Alyssa turned toward him.
“No, Dad. It's not enough.””
He stared at her.
She pulled out her phone.
“You told me the money was yours. You said you were helping me because you wanted me to get my own place.””
Calvin rubbed his face.
“I was helping you.””
“You said the account was your company account.””
“It was complicated.””
Alyssa shook her head.
“You told me not to contact Denise because she was suspicious of everybody.””
My mother stared at him.
Calvin looked at Alyssa.
“Why are you doing this?””
“Because you called me yesterday and told me to say I didn't know anything if anybody asked.””
The room went silent.
I stepped forward.
“Did you keep the money?””
Alyssa looked down.
“Most of it.””
“Can you return it?””
She nodded.
“I have about twelve thousand left. I spent some on rent and paid off my car insurance.””
My mother sank into a chair.
Twelve thousand.
That was the first honest number anyone had given her all day.
Patricia crossed her arms.
“Denise, there's something else you need to know.””
My mother looked up.
“What?””
Patricia hesitated.
“Calvin told Alyssa he was moving into a new property after the wedding.””
I frowned.
“What property?””
Patricia looked at Calvin.
“Your apartment.””
My blood ran cold.
Alyssa nodded.
“He said he was going to get the lease changed. He told me the apartment would become his permanent address, and that he could use it to start another business.””
I looked at the lease documents on the counter.
Suddenly, the false signature made sense.
The business registration made sense.
The urgency to remove me from the tenancy made sense.
Calvin hadn't been trying to find a home.
He had been trying to establish control over an address he could use for his financial plans.
My mother looked at him.
“Was the wedding even real?””
Calvin opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Denise removed the engagement ring from her finger.
She placed it inside the velvet box.
“I want you to leave.””
He stared at her.
“What?””
“Leave this apartment.””
He laughed.
“You can't be serious.””
“I am.””
He looked at me.
Then at Patricia.
Then back at Denise.
“You're going to throw away everything we've built because of a misunderstanding?””
My mother stood.
“There's nothing left to misunderstand.””
Calvin's expression changed.
The charming man who had brought her flowers and called her beautiful disappeared.
What remained was someone angry that his plan had stopped working.
“You'll regret this,” he said.
My mother pointed toward the door.
“Get out.””
He looked at the duffel bag.
Then he looked at me.
I picked it up and placed it outside.
Calvin stepped forward.
“Don't you dare touch my things.””
“Then carry them yourself.””
He grabbed the bag.
But before he walked out, he turned toward my mother.
“Denise, you need me.””
She shook her head.
“No, Calvin. I needed someone who loved me. You needed someone who would pay for your lies.””
He opened the door.
Then stopped.
His phone buzzed.
He looked at it and suddenly became agitated.
I noticed the message preview.
*UNKNOWN NUMBER: WE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. THE MONEY IS DUE TONIGHT.*
Calvin quickly locked his screen.
But it was too late.
I had seen it.
And so had Patricia.
Calvin walked out without another word.
My mother closed the door.
For the first time in six weeks, the apartment was ours again.
But as Denise leaned against the wall, she whispered something that made me turn around.
“Malik, I think Calvin wasn't the only person who knew about the money.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
She looked toward Patricia.
Then toward Alyssa.
May you like
And finally, she said:
“Someone has been calling me every night for the past month, asking when I would give Calvin access to the apartment.””
