Chapter 6 - The first missing money
The first transaction I could not explain was $4,800.
Merchant:
Maison Étoile.
Luxury clothing.
Denise said:
“That was my mistake. Your card was saved in my wallet app.”
She reimbursed it.
Fine.
Then $2,300 for a hotel in Manhattan.
Lauren said:
“You told me to use the household card for the conference.”
I remembered agreeing to airfare.
Not hotel.
Maybe I forgot.
I let it go.
Then $6,100 to a travel agency.
“Family trip deposit.”
No family trip occurred.
Lauren said it was canceled and credited.
A credit did appear.
Fine.
Each incident had an explanation.
Some legitimate.
Some sloppy.
None alone proved exploitation.
Then Martin asked a simple question:
“Why are your daughters using your accounts at all for their personal expenses?”
I said:
“They reimburse.”
“That is not an answer.”
He had known Henry for years.
That gave him permission to irritate me.
I reduced access.
Denise became offended.
Lauren cried.
“You don’t trust us.”
“I trust you. I want cleaner boundaries.”
“That means you don’t trust us.”
No.
It means exactly what I said.
But I let the emotion control me.
May you like
I restored some access.
Another mistake.
