Graham forwarded that email straight to Nina. He also forwarded a string of older emails proving that Richard had been quietly diverting company money into the secret account for months. Graham claimed he’d known nothing about any of it. Whether that was fully true or not, he clearly understood that cooperating with the accountant’s investigation was his best and only chance at avoiding personal ruin alongside his brother.
Within two weeks, the company filed for bankruptcy protection. The filing exposed years of decisions Richard had carefully concealed from both me and his own family. He had exaggerated revenue figures to secure loans, delayed payroll tax payments repeatedly, and used new financing to quietly paper over older debts. The family business hadn’t been one unlucky payment away from recovery, the way he’d always insisted. It had been slowly collapsing for nearly three straight years.
My money had simply been hiding the cracks the whole time.
