Chapter 5: The Name on the Beneficiary Form
The name on the beneficiary form was Jasmine Carter.
I sat in my study for nearly an hour, staring at the document Rebecca had sent me.
The account contained a substantial portion of my retirement savings. I had established it years before marrying Linda, when Carter Construction was finally earning enough to give me some peace of mind about the future.
My original beneficiary designation named Linda.
Now, someone had requested that the account be redirected to Jasmine.
The request had not been completed. The bank had placed it on hold pending verification.
But the form included a date, a signature, and a statement claiming I had approved the change.
The signature looked more convincing than the one on the earlier authorization.
That frightened me more.
I called Rebecca.
“Could Linda have submitted this?””
“Possibly. We don't know who completed the request yet,” she said.
“The bank has flagged it because the supporting authorization doesn't match the verification requirements. We've asked them to preserve the submission records.””
“What happens if they approve it?””
“That's why we've contacted them. You can ask the bank to freeze the pending request and require direct confirmation from you for future changes. We'll also review the beneficiary designation itself.””
I swallowed.
“Do it.””
“We're on it.””
After the call, I wheeled into the kitchen.
Linda stood at the counter, cutting strawberries into a glass bowl. A television murmured in the adjoining room.
“Did you change the beneficiary on my investment account?”” I asked.
Her knife stopped.
“What?””
“Jasmine's name is on a pending beneficiary request.””
Linda set the knife down.
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
“Someone submitted a request to replace you with Jasmine.””
She wiped her hands on a towel.
“Maybe you did it yourself and forgot.””
“Linda, I can remember who I named as the beneficiary of my retirement account.””
“Then ask the bank. Why are you asking me?””
“Because the request came through the same financial process connected to Westbridge.””
She stared at me.
Then she shook her head.
“This is becoming obsessive.””
“It's becoming expensive.””
Her face flushed.
“You've spent years telling me I could handle our finances. Now you're punishing me for doing exactly that.””
“Handling finances doesn't mean changing beneficiaries without my knowledge.””
She picked up the bowl and walked toward the refrigerator.
“I can't do this today.””
I followed her with my eyes.
“Did you do it?””
She put the bowl down harder than necessary.
“Why would I take your money?””
I didn't answer.
She threw up her hands.
“Because I wanted to protect Jasmine? Because I wanted to make sure my daughter had something if your condition got worse? Is that such a terrible thing?””
My chest tightened.
There it was.
Not a confession to the paperwork.
But an explanation for the intention.
“You wanted to make sure Jasmine had something,” I repeated.
“At whose expense?””
“At ours!””
“Then why not discuss it with me?””
“Because you would have said no.””
I stared at her.
The silence between us grew so heavy that the television seemed to come from another house.
Finally, Linda picked up her wineglass.
“You don't understand what it means to be a mother,” she said.
“I understand what it means to be a father.””
“You're not her father.””
The words landed with surgical precision.
I looked at her for a long moment.
“No,” I said.
“Apparently, I'm just the man who pays her bills.””
Linda flinched.
For a second, I saw regret cross her face.
Then her phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it.
Whatever emotion had appeared disappeared immediately.
“I have to go out,” she said.
“Where?””
“I'm meeting someone.””
“Evan?””
She looked up sharply.
“Don't follow me, Marcus.””
“I didn't say I would.””
“Good.””
She grabbed her purse and left.
Through the front window, I watched her climb into her SUV and drive away.
I waited ten minutes before calling Michael.
“Can you check whether there are any other pending changes to my assets?””
“We're already doing that,” he replied.
“But there's something else you should know. Westbridge provided a partial invoice schedule. One of the charges relates to preparing a family trust.””
“Who was the trust for?””
“The document names Linda as the initial trustee and Jasmine as a potential beneficiary. It also includes provisions concerning your shares in Carter Construction.””
I closed my eyes.
“Can they take my company?””
“Not based on a draft alone. Your existing ownership agreements and any validly executed documents would determine what could happen. Rebecca is reviewing those now.””
“Why would they need a trust if all they wanted was to help Jasmine?””
Michael paused.
“That is a question we should ask the people who prepared it.””
After we hung up, I called Thomas Reed, my operations director.
Thomas had been with me since our second year in business. He was the sort of man who could walk onto a construction site, spot a structural problem in five minutes, and explain it without embarrassing anyone.
He answered on the second ring.
“Marcus! How are you holding up?””
“I'm managing. Thomas, have you heard anything unusual about the company's ownership?””
The friendliness vanished from his voice.
“Why do you ask?””
“Because someone has been requesting information about my shares.””
He exhaled slowly.
“I wondered when you'd notice.””
My grip tightened on the phone.
“What do you mean?””
“About two months ago, a woman contacted our legal department asking for copies of the company's succession documents. She said she was coordinating your long-term financial arrangements.””
“Linda?””
“Yes.””
“What did you give her?””
“Nothing confidential without authorization. I told her we'd need written instructions from you and confirmation from our corporate attorney.””
I stared at the wall.
“Did she contact you again?””
“Twice. The second time, she asked what would happen if you became unable to manage the company.””
“What did you tell her?””
“That the board and the operating agreement would govern the process. I also told her that physical disability alone didn't make you incapable of making business decisions.””
I swallowed.
“Thank you.””
“Marcus, is everything all right?””
“No,” I said honestly.
“But I'm trying to find out why.””
Thomas was silent for a moment.
“Whatever this is, don't let it make you think the company is slipping away. The team is solid. You built something worth protecting.””
After we ended the call, I sat in the study until dusk.
At 7:15, Jasmine returned from New York.
She swept through the front door carrying shopping bags and talking into her phone.
“No, the hotel was amazing,” she said.
“I'll send you the pictures. Mom covered the room, so it wasn't even that expensive.””
She laughed.
Then she saw me.
“Oh. You're still up.””
“Apparently.””
She put the bags on the console table.
“Mom said you've been acting weird.””
“Your mother and I have been discussing our finances.””
Jasmine's smile faded.
“Why are you dragging me into your marriage problems?””
“I'm not. But your name appears on a pending request involving one of my investment accounts.””
She froze.
“What?””
“A request to make you the beneficiary.””
“I didn't ask for that.””
“I didn't say you did.””
She crossed her arms.
“Then why are you looking at me like I'm a criminal?””
“I'm trying to understand what's happening.””
“Maybe Mom was planning for the future.””
“Did she discuss it with you?””
Jasmine looked away.
The silence lasted too long.
“Jasmine.””
She sighed.
“Mom said that if something happened to you, we needed to make sure the family was taken care of.””
“What did she mean by something happening to me?””
“She didn't say you were going to die, Marcus!””
“Then what did she say?””
Jasmine threw her hands up.
“She said you might not recover. That you might need care forever. That everything could become complicated if you couldn't manage the business.””
“And you thought that meant you should inherit my retirement savings?””
“I never said that!””
“Did you know about the beneficiary form?””
Her mouth opened.
Then she closed it.
I waited.
Finally, she said, “Mom told me she was arranging some things. I didn't ask for details.””
“Why not?””
“Because she's my mother!””
“And I'm your stepfather.””
She looked at me with a flash of resentment.
“You're making this sound so ugly.””
“Is there a beautiful way to change someone's financial future without telling them?””
Jasmine grabbed her bags.
“I can't believe you're doing this to us.””
“Doing what?””
“Making us feel like we owe you something because you saved me.””
I felt the old pain rise in my chest, but this time it didn't make me want to defend myself.
It made me tired.
“I never asked you to owe me your life,” I said.
“I asked you to treat me like a human being.””
She looked away.
For the first time, she didn't have an immediate insult ready.
Then her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen, and her face went pale.
“Who is it?”” I asked.
“No one.””
She tried to put the phone in her pocket, but I had already seen the name at the top of the message.
*Evan Brooks.*
A preview appeared beneath it.
Your mother says Marcus is asking questions. Did you tell him anything about the Connecticut property?
I stared at her.
“Jasmine, what Connecticut property?””
She clutched her phone against her chest.
“It's not what you think.””
“Then tell me what it is.””
She shook her head.
“You need to talk to Mom.””
“I'm asking you.””
Her eyes filled with tears, but whether they came from guilt or fear, I couldn't tell.
Finally, she whispered, “The house was supposed to be a backup plan.””
“For whom?””
She looked toward the staircase.
“For Mom and me.””
I stared at her.
“Did you know where the money came from?””
“No,” she said quickly.
“I swear I didn't.””
May you like
Then she swallowed hard.
“But I knew she was planning to leave you.””
