“Dad would be ashamed of you.”
My mother’s expression sharpened.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“Lila.”
“I said no.”
The silence became absolute.
My sister looked at me.
Then she looked at the guests.
“I need to tell Amelia something.”
My pulse began racing.
Lila inhaled.
“The sponsorship isn’t the whole story.”
Mother moved toward her.
“Enough.”
Lila stepped backward.
Daniel immediately moved between them.
My sister continued.
“For the past eighteen months, I’ve been helping Mom with bookkeeping for Sterling Family Holdings.”
I knew that.
After Dad died, our mother had taken control of several family investments until Lila and I reached certain ages specified by trusts.
I had never been interested in the details.
That suddenly felt incredibly stupid.
Lila looked at me.
“Two months ago, I found transfers I didn’t recognize.”
Mother shouted, “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Lila raised her voice.
“Payments were leaving our trust accounts.”
My stomach dropped.
“What payments?”
“Consulting.”
“To who?”
Lila looked at Mother.
“Companies I couldn’t find.”
My mother laughed.
“This is financial administration, Amelia.
Your sister took one accounting class.”
“I took the records to someone who didn’t take one accounting class.”
Gordon Pike stood from the third row.
Our family accountant looked twenty years older than he had that morning.
My mother stared at him.
“You.”
Gordon didn’t respond.
Lila continued.
“Gordon helped me trace the transfers.”
My palms had gone cold.
“How much?”
Lila’s eyes filled with tears.
“Three point two million dollars.”
I heard Daniel curse softly.
The vineyard seemed to tilt.
“From whose accounts?”
“Ours.”
I couldn’t speak.
Lila looked down.
“Mostly yours.”
Mother stepped forward.
“That money paid family expenses.”
“No,” Gordon said.
It was the first time he had spoken.
Everyone turned.
He walked toward the front.
“I reviewed the transfers this morning after Lila contacted me.”
My mother’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“You work for me.”
“No, Vivian.”
Gordon removed his glasses.
“I worked for Charles.”
My father.
Mother’s mouth tightened.
Gordon looked at me.
“Your father established protected trusts for both daughters.
Vivian had administrative authority under limited circumstances.
She did not have authority to use the funds for personal expenditures.”
My throat tightened.
“What did she use them for?”
He looked at Mother.
“She’ll need to answer that.”
Mother laughed.
It sounded almost convincing.
“Wonderful.
So my daughter’s wedding has become an amateur prosecution.”
Then she looked at me.
“You want truth?
Fine.”
She reached for her purse.
“I’ve spent years saving this family from your father’s mistakes.”
“My father’s mistakes?”
“He left debt.”
Gordon frowned.
“No, he didn’t.”
Mother ignored him.
“He left responsibilities.
Properties.
Businesses.
Two daughters who had no idea what anything cost.”
Her voice rose.
“You were building your precious little life in New York while I stayed here cleaning everything up.”
I stared at her.
“So you stole from us?”
“I borrowed.”
“Three million dollars?”
“I protected what belongs to this family.”
“It was already this family’s money!”
“It was mine to manage!”
“No.”
The voice came from behind the guests.
A woman had risen from the last row.
Marjorie Vale.
My mother’s friend.
Owner of Vale Bridal International.
She wore an emerald-green dress and looked furious.
My mother stopped breathing.
Marjorie walked down the aisle.
For one surreal second, I wondered whether she had come to defend my mother.
Instead, she looked at me.
“Amelia, I’m sorry.”
