Chapter 3: The Price Beside My Name
“Send it to me now,” I told the manager.
Matt’s mother reached the doorway before I spoke again.
“Don’t leave.”
She turned with one hand on the frame.
“You don’t give me orders, Noah.”
“Someone forged my signature.
Until I know who did it, nobody walks away pretending this is about flowers.”
My computer chimed.
I opened the attachment while Emily came around the desk.
The first page authorized the venue to charge $18,600 to my business account.
The second was a personal guarantee covering every unpaid wedding expense up to $46,800.
“That isn’t mine,” I said.
Emily pressed both hands over her mouth.
“That’s your driver’s license.”
A scanned copy sat beneath the signature.
My home address, account details, and company registration number were listed beside it.
“Where did they get those?” I asked.
Matt answered too quickly.
“Emily must have sent them.”
She spun toward him.
“I did not.”
“You handled the contracts,” he said.
“Your father gave you access.”
“I had copies of invoices, not his license.”
Matt’s mother folded her arms.
“This is becoming theatrical.
Noah agreed to pay, and someone merely put his agreement in writing.”
“Someone?” I turned the monitor toward her.
“You seemed very eager to leave.”
“I have a rehearsal dinner to rescue.”
My office door opened, and my bookkeeper, Carla, stepped inside.
She looked from the screen to Matt.
“Why is he here again?”
Matt’s face tightened.
“Again?”
Carla set a folder on my desk.
“You came in last Thursday.
You said Emily had asked you to collect copies of the venue payments.”
“I never came here,” Matt said.
“You signed the visitor sheet.”
Carla pulled it from the folder and pointed to his name.
The time beside it was 4:42 p.m.
Emily took one step away from him.
“You told me you were meeting the best man that afternoon.”
Matt looked at his mother.
She lifted her chin but said nothing.
I called my attorney, Dana Brooks, and put her on speaker.
“Do not open any more attachments,” Dana said.
“Forward the original email to me and call your bank.”
Matt’s mother gave a short laugh.
“Over a wedding bill?”
“Over attempted financial fraud,” Dana replied.
“Who am I speaking to?”
“No one who answers to you.”
“Good.
Then you won’t mind giving Noah your phone so we can compare the email records.”
Her smile disappeared.
Matt stepped toward my desk.
“This can be fixed if everyone calms down.”
“You mean if I pay,” I said.
“You promised Emily a wedding.”
“I promised help.
I did not promise you access to my company.”
Emily grabbed Matt’s sleeve.
“Tell me you didn’t take Dad’s documents.”
He pulled free.
“Ask him why he cares more about money than your happiness.”
Her hand dropped to her side.
The venue manager called again before anyone could answer.
I put her on speaker.
“We traced the upload,” she said.
“The document came through Emily’s wedding account.”
Matt pointed at her.
“There.
You have your answer.”
Emily’s knees struck the chair as she backed away.
“No.
Matt knows that password.”
“So does your father,” Matt said.
“I didn’t know the account existed,” I replied.
The manager cleared her throat.
“There is an editing history.
The file was created at 2:14 yesterday morning from an address registered to Emily and Matt’s house.”
Emily stared at Matt.
“You were awake when I went to bed.”
His mother moved beside him.
“That proves nothing,” she said.
“A shared address means a shared responsibility.”
Dana’s voice sharpened through the speaker.
“It also means nobody deletes a phone, email, or computer.”
Matt reached into his pocket.
His mother caught his wrist.
May you like
That was when I understood she was not stopping him from making a call.
She was stopping him from destroying whatever was on his phone.
