Chapter 9: The Deadline
Nobody spoke for several seconds after Tyler read Raymond's message.
Your mother has until Friday to send the remaining balance. If she doesn't, the entire arrangement changes.
David took the phone from Tyler, careful not to delete or alter anything.
“What remaining balance?”” he asked.
Tyler shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Jessica had gone rigid beside the table.
David looked directly at her.
“What remaining balance is Raymond talking about?””
She wiped her cheeks with the heel of her hand.
“I don't know exactly what he means.””
“Jessica.””
“He kept asking me for additional money. He said there were fees, delays, and legal expenses. I stopped sending him anything after the last transfer.””
“How much did you send him in total?””
“I told you. Thirty-five thousand.””
“Then why is he demanding a remaining balance?””
“I don't know!””
Her voice cracked.
David held out the phone.
“Did you ever borrow money from someone else to pay Raymond?””
Jessica stared at the screen.
Then she slowly sat down.
“Yes.””
Jasmine felt her stomach drop.
“How much?””
Jessica covered her face.
“Another twelve thousand dollars.””
David lowered himself into the chair across from her.
“Where did that money come from?””
“My credit cards and a personal loan.””
“Is the loan in your name?””
“Yes.””
“Did you use any of Jasmine's money to pay it?””
Jessica hesitated.
David's expression hardened.
“Answer me.””
“I used some of the account money to make the first payment.””
Jasmine closed her eyes.
Even now, Jessica was revealing the truth in pieces, each confession exposing another hidden decision.
David leaned back.
“Raymond is demanding more money, and you have been borrowing to keep up with his demands.””
“He said the investment was about to pay out.””
“When?””
“He kept changing the date.””
“And you believed him?””
Jessica's voice broke.
“I wanted to believe him.””
Jasmine looked at her stepmother.
For the first time, Jessica's desperation was unmistakable. Her eyes were swollen, her hands trembled, and the certainty she usually carried had disappeared.
But Jasmine could not let herself confuse desperation with innocence.
“You knew the money was mine,” she said.
Jessica looked up.
“I know.””
“You knew Dad hadn't approved the transfers.””
“I know.””
“You still demanded two thousand dollars from me.””
Jessica's face crumpled.
“I was scared.””
“So was I.””
Jasmine's voice shook, but she kept going.
“I was scared every time you told me to leave. I was scared to ask Dad for help because you kept saying I was causing problems. I was scared that if I stood up for myself, I'd lose the only home I had left from Mom.””
Jessica looked away.
Jasmine continued.
“You knew exactly what you were doing when you told me I didn't belong here.””
“I never wanted you to feel that way.””
“But you made sure I did.””
David reached for his daughter's hand.
Jasmine squeezed it.
Tyler remained near the doorway, staring at his phone. His anger had faded, leaving him pale and uncertain.
“Dad,” he said quietly, “what happens if Raymond does something?””
David turned toward him.
“What do you mean?””
“He said the arrangement changes if Mom doesn't pay. What if he comes here?””
“We'll take the message to the attorney and ask the appropriate authorities for guidance. Nobody is sending him money because of a threatening text.””
Tyler nodded, but he still looked frightened.
Jessica rose abruptly.
“I have to call him.””
David stood too.
“No.””
“He might be able to explain—”
“You are not sending him another dollar, and you are not making any financial decisions until the attorney reviews these records.””
“You can't control every decision I make!””
“I can refuse to let you use my daughter's money to fund another payment.””
Jessica stared at him.
For a moment, Jasmine thought her stepmother might erupt into another furious argument. Instead, Jessica grabbed her purse and headed toward the front door.
“Where are you going?”” David asked.
“To clear my head.””
“Fine. But don't delete any messages, destroy any records, or attempt to move money connected to these accounts.””
Jessica stopped with her hand on the doorknob.
Then she turned.
“You think I'm some kind of monster.””
David's face was exhausted.
“I think you've made serious choices that have hurt people who trusted you. What happens next depends on what we learn and what you choose to do now.””
Jessica looked at Jasmine.
“Will you ever forgive me?””
The question surprised her.
For years, Jasmine had imagined Jessica apologizing. She had imagined her stepmother acknowledging the cruel remarks, the threats, and the small humiliations that had made the house feel hostile.
But now that Jessica was asking, Jasmine discovered she had no easy answer.
“I don't know,” she said honestly.
“I'm not ready to talk about forgiveness. I need you to stop hurting me first.””
Jessica's eyes filled again.
She opened the door and left.
David watched through the window as she drove away.
Then he turned to Tyler.
“Sit down. We need to talk.””
Tyler obeyed.
David pulled out a chair opposite him.
“I'm not asking you to take sides between your mother and me. But I need you to be honest about what you knew.””
Tyler stared at the table.
“I knew she had an account for me.””
“When did you find out the money came from Jasmine's mother's insurance?””
“About six months ago.””
Jasmine felt a sharp ache in her chest.
“Six months?””
Tyler looked at her.
“Mom told me after I asked why she kept getting calls about the investment. She said she'd borrowed the money and was going to put it back.””
“And you didn't tell anyone?””
“I thought she'd fix it.””
“You could have told Dad.””
Tyler's jaw tightened.
“You think that's easy? He's always looking at me like I'm not really his son.””
David flinched.
“Tyler, I've never told you that.””
“You don't have to. Every time you buy something for Jasmine, you explain why she needs it. Every time I ask for something, you ask whether it's necessary.””
“Because I have responsibilities to both of you. And because Jasmine's mother left money specifically for her future.””
Tyler looked down.
“I know.””
“Do you?””
David's voice remained calm, but the hurt in it was unmistakable.
“You benefited from money that wasn't yours. You knew enough to understand there was a problem, and you stayed silent because you didn't want to lose the benefit.””
Tyler's eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't think it would get this bad.””
“Neither did your mother, apparently. But that doesn't erase what happened.””
Tyler wiped his face.
“I'm sorry.””
Jasmine looked at him.
She wanted to be angry. Part of her was angry. He had enjoyed things purchased with money that was supposed to help her build a future, while she had worked extra shifts to afford textbooks.
But Tyler was seventeen. He had been given a story by his mother, and he had chosen to believe the version that benefited him.
That choice had consequences, but it did not make him beyond repair.
“I need you to understand something,” Jasmine said.
Tyler looked at her.
“I'm not asking you to give up everything you own. I'm asking you to stop pretending you didn't know something was wrong.””
He nodded slowly.
“I understand.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
“Then tell the truth when the attorney asks you questions. Don't protect Mom by lying. Don't protect yourself by pretending you knew nothing.””
Tyler swallowed.
“Okay.””
David stood and collected the documents.
“We're going back to Ms. Reynolds' office. We'll provide the new messages, the deadline, and the information about the additional loan. We also need to secure any remaining accounts and determine whether the original insurance proceeds can be traced.””
Jasmine rose.
“I'm coming with you.””
David nodded.
“You should.””
Before they left, Tyler stopped Jasmine near the hallway.
“Can I ask you something?””
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Do you hate me?””
Jasmine studied him.
“No.””
He looked surprised.
“But I don't trust you right now,” she continued.
“That's different.””
Tyler's eyes dropped.
“I deserve that.””
“You need to decide what kind of person you want to be when nobody is watching. That's what matters now.””
He nodded, unable to meet her eyes.
Jasmine walked out with her father.
At the attorney's office, they reviewed the new messages and the financial records. Ms. Reynolds advised them to preserve the communications, contact the appropriate financial institutions, and report the suspected unauthorized transfers through the proper channels. She also warned them not to respond to Raymond's demands or make any payment without independent verification.
Then she asked David to confirm something.
“Did you ever personally communicate with Raymond Cole?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize Jessica to invest money from the insurance account?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize the eighteen-thousand-dollar transfer under your name?””
“No.””
Ms. Reynolds wrote down his answers.
“Those distinctions are important. We'll need the original records, not just screenshots and summaries. The institutions may be able to trace the funds further, although recovery isn't guaranteed.””
Jasmine looked at the preliminary accounting sheet.
Even if they recovered nothing, she wanted a complete record of what had happened. She wanted to know which decisions were Jessica's, which transfers had been unauthorized, and whether Raymond was a real investor or someone who had deliberately exploited Jessica's desperation.
Most of all, she wanted her mother to stop being used as an excuse for everyone else's choices.
When they returned home that afternoon, a message from Jessica was waiting.
I found the original investment contract. It explains the transfers. Please don't make any more reports until you read it.
David forwarded the message to Ms. Reynolds, who replied that they should preserve the contract and avoid delaying any appropriate reporting or account-protection steps.
An hour later, Jessica returned carrying a thick folder.
She placed it on the kitchen table.
“I want you to read this before you decide what to do with me.””
David remained standing.
“We're not making decisions based on promises anymore. The attorney will review it.””
Jessica nodded.
Inside the folder was a contract bearing Raymond Cole's name, the name of an investment company, and a series of financial projections.
The projected return was far higher than David would have expected from an ordinary investment.
Ms. Reynolds, reviewing a copy over a video call, pointed out several warning signs and said the contract's authenticity and legal effect would need independent verification.
But one section caught Jasmine's attention.
It described the source of the initial capital.
The document claimed the money came from an account belonging to David Carter.
Jasmine looked at her father.
“Dad, you never invested in this, did you?””
“No.””
David's face tightened.
Ms. Reynolds examined the signature page.
“Is this your signature?””
“No.””
The attorney leaned closer to her screen.
“Then this document may be significant. We need the original and the records showing how it was submitted.””
Jessica began crying again.
“I told Raymond the money wasn't mine.””
David turned toward her.
“Then why does the contract say I invested it?””
Jessica stared at the paper.
“I didn't write that.””
“Did you approve it?””
She didn't answer.
David's voice became cold.
“Jessica, did you tell Raymond to put my name on this contract?””
“No.””
“Did you know he had done it?””
Jessica looked down.
“I found out later.””
“When?””
“Six months ago.””
Jasmine felt her heart pound.
Six months ago. The same time Tyler had learned the money came from her mother's insurance. The same time Jessica had begun worrying that David might discover the accounts.
David pulled out a chair.
“You knew my name was on a contract for an investment I never made, and you kept quiet?””
“I thought if I could get the money back, the contract wouldn't matter.””
Ms. Reynolds interrupted.
“Please don't speculate about what the contract means or attempt to resolve this privately. We need to preserve all evidence and verify the facts.””
Jessica nodded miserably.
David looked at the signature again.
The forged authorization. The investment contract. The missing money.
They were no longer looking at a single bad financial decision.
They were looking at a pattern that might have involved multiple people and accounts.
Then Jasmine noticed something at the bottom of the contract.
A second signature.
It belonged to a witness who had supposedly verified David's identity.
Jasmine read the name aloud.
“Marcus Bell.””
David slowly looked up.
May you like
Jessica stopped crying.
And for the first time, the three of them understood that Marcus might know far more about the thirty-five thousand dollars than he had admitted on the phone.
