Chapter 3 - The Missing Money
The church emptied in less than twenty minutes.
Nobody wanted to be the last guest standing inside a canceled wedding and an unfolding financial scandal.
Phones had already started posting clips.
The sentence "You smell like a farm" was everywhere before Isabella reached the bridal room.
She tore off her veil.
"This is a nightmare."
Her mother, Claudia Whitmore, shut the door.
"Stop looking at your phone."
"Charles ended our wedding in front of everyone."
"Then we deal with Charles later."
"Later? Dad lied to me."
"Your father protected the foundation."
"By telling me his money saved it?"
"By keeping donors confident."
Across the church, Charles sat with Eleanor in a side chapel.
"Why didn't you tell me you sold land?"
"Because you would have tried to stop me."
"Yes."
"Exactly."
He almost laughed, but anger won.
"That land was Dad's favorite part of the farm."
"Your father spent three months in St. Matthew's when you were six. We were broke. They treated you anyway."
Charles remembered pieces. Machines. Cartoon stickers. His mother's hand around his.
"I told myself if I ever had enough, I'd pay something back."
"One point eight million is more than something."
"I still have the house. I still have the south fields. I still have enough."
"And Isabella took credit for it."
"She may not have known."
Charles looked toward the bridal room.
"She knew how to treat you."
Eleanor could not argue with that.
Samuel entered with Rachel Park, the foundation's outside accountant.
"We checked the project account. Eleanor's wire arrived on March 18. By April 2, nine hundred thousand had been moved through three vendor payments."
"For what?" Charles asked.
"Event consulting. Donor strategy. Construction coordination."
"The construction company says it never received one of them."
"Two vendor addresses lead to the same mailbox."
"Whose companies?"
Rachel looked toward the closed bridal-room door.
"One is registered to Isabella's brother, Mason."
Charles stood.
May you like
Then Rachel added:
"The other is controlled by Victor Whitmore."
