Chapter 3 - OLIVIA’S FIRST EXPLANATION
Olivia’s attorney contacted mine before Olivia contacted me again.
That was probably wise.
Her position was simple.
Bellamy Event Solutions had provided legitimate wedding coordination.
Any transfers between sisters were personal.
The invoices were authorized through the wedding budget.
No crime.
No scheme.
No theft.
Maybe.
Our accountant kept reviewing.
The paper trail mattered more than my anger.
Then Natalie produced text messages.
Olivia:
Michael doesn’t care what flowers cost. Add six to floral and four to rentals.
Natalie:
What if he asks?
Olivia:
He won’t. He trusts me.
My stomach turned.
Another:
After the wedding nobody will separate mine from his anyway.
There.
That sentence did something the pool of spilled wine could not.
It showed me how Olivia viewed marriage.
Not partnership.
Acquisition.
My assets were going to become accessible enough that small dishonesty now felt temporary.
I asked my attorney:
“Can we recover it?”
“Some of it, probably.”
“Will she be charged?”
“That is not a prediction I’m making.”
Good answer.
We documented.
Demanded accounting.
Handled wedding deposits.
Canceled accounts where appropriate.
No dramatic police raid.
No handcuffs at a bridal boutique.
Just records.
Consequences often arrive looking disappointingly administrative.
Olivia hated that more.
She could fight a scene.
She was excellent at scenes.
May you like
Spreadsheets were harder.
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