Chapter 4 - The Panicked Explanation
Evelyn’s confident posture crumbled instantly. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her face pale and ghostly under the bright kitchen lights.
"Mr. Moretti… I can explain…" Evelyn stuttered, her hands twitching as she tried to reach for the clipboard. "It was... a budget management decision! We had over-budgeted on estate landscaping, and I had to cut minor cosmetic requests—"
"A medical necessity for a four-year-old child is a minor cosmetic request?" Mr. Moretti interrupted, stepping closer.
Evelyn backed up until her hips pressed against the stainless-steel refrigerator. She glanced nervously toward the corner counter, where a thick leather-bound folder rested under a stack of unopened mail.
Mr. Moretti followed her desperate glance. Without a word, he walked to the counter and picked up the hidden folder.
He flipped it open. Inside were dozens of duplicate invoices stamped PAID IN FULL.
One invoice listed a $12,000 fee for "marble flooring restoration and threshold maintenance" dated just two weeks ago. Another listed $15,000 for "pediatric medical equipment upgrades."
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None of that work had ever been done.
👉 Where had the tens of thousands of dollars for Lily's care and safety actually gone?
