Chapter 6: The Account With My Name on It
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
My name stared back at me from the receipt.
Lily Carter.
It was printed beneath an account reference I didn't recognize, followed by a date from nearly a year earlier.
“Dad,” I whispered, “I didn't open that account.””
“I know.””
“Then why is my name on it?””
He pulled out his phone and called his accountant again.
“Michael, I need the full details of that investment account. Who opened it, what identification was used, and where the original funds came from.””
He listened, his expression growing more troubled with every passing second.
“Yes. Send me the records as soon as you can.””
He ended the call and sat down heavily.
Madison leaned forward.
“Could Mom have opened an account for Lily without telling her?””
“It's possible to establish certain accounts on behalf of a minor,” my father replied.
“But we need to know what kind of account this is and whether the money was deposited lawfully.””
I stared at the receipt.
If Vanessa had opened an account in my name, why hadn't she told me?
And why had she tried to take the money Mrs. Brooks paid me?
My father rubbed his forehead.
“I want to be careful here. We don't know the full story yet. But until we do, nobody should make assumptions or move any money.””
Madison nodded.
Then she looked at me.
“Lily, what if Mom was trying to save money for you?””
I wanted to believe that.
I wanted to discover that all the years of rejection had been a terrible misunderstanding, that Vanessa had secretly cared about me, and that the account was proof of a love she hadn't known how to express.
But the image of the worn-out singlet on the dining table returned to me.
So did her words.
You are not my child. You never were, and you never will be.
“I don't know,” I answered.
My father squeezed my shoulder.
“We'll find out.””
By lunchtime, Michael had sent the preliminary records.
My father spread them across the dining room table, the same table where he had thrown my old clothes only two days earlier.
I sat beside him while Madison stood near the window, biting her thumbnail.
“The account was opened eleven months ago,” my father explained.
“It's a managed investment account, not an ordinary savings account.””
He turned a page.
“The original deposit was ten thousand dollars.””
Madison's eyes widened.
“Ten thousand?””
My father nodded.
“Then there were three additional deposits over the following months.””
I stared at the figures.
The total was more than thirty thousand dollars.
“Where did the money come from?”” I asked.
My father checked the transaction summary.
“Some transfers originated from our joint household account. Others came from an account used for my business expenses.””
He went quiet.
“That's concerning,” Madison said.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Very.””
My father called Michael again and asked him to arrange a meeting with the investment firm.
The earliest available appointment was the following morning.
That evening, Vanessa returned from an errand and found the papers on the dining table.
She stopped in the doorway.
“What are those?””
My father closed the folder.
“Records relating to an investment account opened in Lily's name.””
Vanessa's expression changed so quickly that I almost missed it.
Then she laughed.
“Oh. That.””
My father rose.
“You know about it?””
“Of course I know about it.””
“Did you open it?””
Vanessa placed her handbag on a chair.
“I arranged it for Lily's future.””
I stared at her.
“You did?””
She looked at me with a small, patronizing smile.
“Yes, darling. I was trying to make sure you had money when you were older.””
For one dangerous moment, hope stirred in my chest.
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because it was supposed to be a surprise.””
My father pointed at the papers.
“Why were funds from my business account used to finance it?””
Vanessa's smile vanished.
“I was managing the family's finances.””
“You were not authorized to transfer business money into an investment account without telling me.””
“I intended to explain everything eventually.””
“When?””
“When the time was right!””
My father stared at her.
“And why did you transfer twenty-five thousand dollars from Lily's education fund to Madison?””
Vanessa threw her hands into the air.
“Because Madison needed money for college, and Lily already had this investment account!””
My heart began pounding.
“You knew I had an account?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“Obviously.””
“But I never knew about it.””
“Well, you do now!””
“Then why did you tell Dad you had saved money for Madison's shopping?””
Vanessa's mouth tightened.
“Because I didn't want him interfering with my decisions.””
My father shook his head.
“You don't get to decide which child's future matters and which child's doesn't.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“You're making me sound heartless. I created an account for Lily! Doesn't that count for anything?””
I looked at her.
“Did you ever intend to tell me?””
She hesitated.
“Of course.””
“When?””
“When you were old enough to understand.””
“I'm fourteen.””
“Exactly. You're too young to understand financial matters.””
My father interrupted.
“Then why did you think you were qualified to move the money without my authorization?””
Vanessa turned away.
“I won't stand here and be interrogated.””
She grabbed her handbag and headed upstairs.
My father didn't follow her.
Instead, he gathered the documents and placed them in a locked drawer.
“Tomorrow, we'll speak to the investment firm,” he told me.
“Until then, don't accept any explanation as the final answer. We need the records.””
I nodded, though my thoughts were spinning.
For the first time, Vanessa had admitted knowing about the account. She claimed she had created it for my future.
Yet she had never bought me proper clothes, never replaced my broken shoes, and never treated my needs as equal to those of her children.
How could someone supposedly saving for my future treat me so carelessly in the present?
The next morning, my father took me to the investment firm's office.
Madison came too.
She insisted on accompanying us because the twenty-five-thousand-dollar transfer involved her account.
Vanessa refused to join us.
“I have nothing to explain,” she had said before leaving the house.
“You're all determined to make me the villain.””
At the office, a financial adviser named Mr. Reynolds greeted us in a glass-walled conference room.
He reviewed our identification, examined the documents, and brought up the account records on his computer.
“Mr. Carter,” he said, “I can confirm that the account was established for the benefit of Lily Carter.””
My father leaned forward.
“Who authorized the deposits?””
“The records show that Mrs. Vanessa Carter initiated the account setup and supplied the relevant documentation.””
“Did Lily sign anything?””
Mr. Reynolds checked the file.
“No. Given her age, that would not necessarily be required. However, we need to examine the authorization documents to determine who was permitted to operate the account.””
My father nodded.
“Please do.””
The adviser opened another file.
Then he stopped.
“That's unusual.””
My father stiffened.
“What is?””
Mr. Reynolds turned his monitor slightly.
“The account contains a beneficiary designation that was amended four months ago.””
“Amended by whom?””
He clicked into the record.
“The change was submitted by Vanessa Carter.””
I felt cold all over.
“What did she change?”” I asked.
Mr. Reynolds looked at me, then at my father.
“The original beneficiary was listed as Lily Carter. The amended designation names a different person.””
Madison gripped the edge of the table.
“Who?””
The adviser hesitated before answering.
“Madison Carter.””
My sister's face drained of color.
“That can't be right.””
Mr. Reynolds continued reading.
“The amendment states that the change was made to ensure the funds would remain within the family and support a dependent child.””
My father rose from his chair.
“You mean she opened an account in my daughter's name, deposited money into it, and then changed the beneficiary to her own daughter?””
“That's what the current records indicate,” Mr. Reynolds replied.
“But we need to review the account terms before determining the legal effect of that designation.””
Madison shook her head violently.
“I never asked her to do that! I didn't even know the account existed!””
My father looked at the adviser.
“Can the funds be withdrawn?””
“Not until we establish the authority for the transactions and review the beneficiary designation. I recommend that you submit a formal dispute and request that no changes be made while the matter is under review.””
My father immediately agreed.
As the adviser prepared the paperwork, I sat frozen in my chair.
Vanessa had told me the account was for my future.
But at some point, she had tried to redirect that future toward Madison.
And there was still one question nobody had answered.
Why had Vanessa used my name to create an account if she intended to give the money to someone else?
On our way out, my father received an email from Michael, his accountant.
He opened it in the elevator.
I watched his expression change.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he showed me the final page of the report.
It contained a transfer request submitted just three days earlier.
The request had been made after my father confronted Vanessa about my clothes.
And the destination account belonged to a company I had never heard of.
My father read the amount aloud.
“Forty thousand dollars.””
Madison covered her mouth.
“Mom was going to move another forty thousand?””
My father looked at the date, then slowly shook his head.
“No,” he said.
“She was trying to move it before I discovered the account.””
He called Michael and asked him to trace the destination.
A moment later, the elevator doors opened.
My father's phone rang again.
He answered.
“Michael?””
I watched his face turn pale.
Then he looked at me.
“Lily, I need you to sit down.””
“Why?””
He swallowed.
“The company receiving the forty thousand dollars is registered to someone in our own family.””
May you like
He paused.
“And it isn't Vanessa.””
