Chapter 11 - The Business Failure
Michael had lost nearly two hundred thousand dollars in a failed investment.
He never told Claire.
The company he claimed was thriving had stopped paying him months earlier.
Rather than admit the failure, he borrowed money.
Credit cards.
Private loans.
Cash advances.
Then he began moving funds between accounts to create the appearance of stability.
Vanessa’s father, Thomas Bell, owned several car dealerships.
Michael saw the marriage as access to new capital.
He told Thomas he was developing a luxury fitness franchise.
There was no franchise.
There were only presentation slides, fake contracts, and staged photographs.
Thomas had already agreed to invest after the wedding.
Michael expected the first transfer within forty-eight hours.
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Claire’s arrival threatened more than the ceremony.
It threatened the money Michael believed would save him.
