Chapter 8 - The Audit Begins
With my father spent the night in a holding cell, forensic accountants hired by the State Attorney’s office began digging through his business accounts. What started as a focused investigation into my stolen identity quickly opened a Pandora's box.
My father ran a mid-sized logistics firm that relied heavily on municipal contracts. The state auditors discovered that he had been falsifying tax returns, inflating payroll entries, and shifting money across dummy accounts to hide severe operational losses.
Ethan’s involvement was far worse than I imagined. He wasn't just a passive beneficiary; he had actively used his father’s company credit lines to finance illegal sports betting operations across state lines.
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"They didn't just steal your future, Mia," Mr. Vance told me during our strategy session. "They built a house of cards on top of your name, believing you would be too terrified or ashamed to ever pull out the foundation."
"They thought I was weak because I kept my head down and studied," I replied softly. "They mistook my patience for submission."
