Chapter 8 - The Financial Fraud UnlockedNora gestured for Lila to sit in the leather chair across from the desk. Mr. Harrison tapped a key on his laptop, projecting a new set of financial records onto the screen above the fireplace.
"For the past three years," Nora explained, her voice steady and professional, "our parents used Vance Botanicals as a personal clearing house. They took out twelve millions dollars in high-interest loans against the company's manufacturing plants to fund your influencer career, your private jet leases, and your promotional campaigns."
Lila stared at the numbers, her brow furrowing. "I... I didn't know the specifics. Mother told me it was all paid for by my modeling contracts."
"Your modeling contracts didn't even cover the cost of your digital marketing team, Lila," Nora said, turning the laptop toward her sister.
"Look at the transaction history from March 14th, 2025. A transfer of four million dollars was made from the Nora Vance Medical Trust—the fund set up by Grandmother for my future reconstructive surgeries—to a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands. That money was used to purchase the very diamonds on the crown you wore tonight."
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Lila’s eyes widened, a look of genuine horror crossing her face. She looked down at her hands. "They told me that money was a dividend from the corporate expansion. They told me you didn't want the surgeries anymore... that you preferred to stay hidden."
"They lied to both of us, Lila," Nora said, her voice softening just a fraction, though the steel remained underneath. "They used your vanity to mask their theft, and they used my isolation to ensure no one would ever ask where the money went. But the money is gone now. The company is teetering on bankruptcy, and the bank is preparing to foreclose on this very estate by the end of the month."
