Chapter 9 - THE BABY SHOWER BECAME PART OF A LARGER CASE
The divorce financial review widened.
Not because the police arrived.
Not because an anonymous billionaire intervened.
Because numbers had to reconcile.
Derek’s insurance brokerage employer required disclosure of outside entities where employees held financial interests. Derek had never disclosed P.M. Family Holdings because legally it belonged to Patricia.
But several commission payments went directly there.
Compliance wanted to know why.
Derek claimed they were gifts to his mother.
The bank statements showed most remained in the Derek Reserve investment account.
That created a workplace issue.
Not necessarily theft.
Not necessarily a crime.
But potentially undisclosed compensation routing and inaccurate compliance declarations.
Derek was placed on administrative leave while the firm reviewed it.
He blamed Alyssa.
“You cost me my job.”
“I didn’t send them anything.”
That was true.
The issue surfaced because Derek produced his income records in the divorce and his own lawyer advised him that concealing the account from employer compliance would create a larger problem.
The consequences began connecting themselves.
Patricia faced financial scrutiny too.
Her accountant had reported some transfers as gifts.
Others were treated as loans.
Others were ignored as transfers between family accounts.
The inconsistency created tax questions.
Again, no instant raid.
Just amended returns, professional fees, and an accountant who refused to keep signing statements without explanation.
Patricia’s confidence began cracking.
She called Alyssa.
“I will return your money if you stop digging into everything else.”
“The twenty-three thousand is already back.”
“I mean all of it.”
Alyssa looked at Rebecca.
The call was on speaker with Patricia’s knowledge.
“What do you want in return?”
“You tell Derek’s employer the money was family gifts.”
“I can’t tell them something I don’t know is true.”
“You’re destroying him.”
“No. I’m refusing to write his explanation.”
Patricia hung up.
The hospital’s medical records from the baby-shower fall also entered the family-court file because Derek had described Alyssa as “emotionally unstable during late pregnancy.”
The ER notes said something else.
Pregnant patient fell after spouse forcefully removed property from her hand during family conflict.
Witnesses confirmed Derek did not intentionally push Alyssa into the pool.
They also confirmed he shoved her arm away while she stood on wet stone.
That distinction mattered.
The event was not attempted physical harm.
It was reckless disregard during coercive behavior.
The court took it seriously.
Then Rebecca received Derek’s proposed settlement.
He would return all identifiable marital funds held by Patricia.
In exchange, Alyssa would agree the transfers had been legitimate gifts at the time they were made.
Rebecca looked at her.
May you like
“He needs the gifts to be real for a reason.”
The question was why.
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