Chapter 5 - TERESA'S PART
Teresa did not forge the signature.
Derek did.
Eventually he admitted that.
But Teresa helped afterward.
She discovered the loan two weeks before Clara.
Derek told her:
“If Easton fails, I’m personally wiped out.”
Teresa said:
“Then tell Alex.”
Derek refused.
“He’ll kill the deal.”
“He’ll save you.”
“He’ll take control.”
That was Derek’s real fear.
Not poverty.
Being reduced again to the little brother Alex had to rescue.
Teresa secretly wired Derek $300,000 from her own investment account.
Not illegal.
Not enough.
Then she called the lender and represented that Alex was “aware of the family support.”
She did not explicitly confirm the guarantee.
But she made the lender less suspicious.
When Clara found the documents, Teresa begged her:
“Give us forty-eight hours.”
Clara refused.
“This is fraud.”
Teresa answered:
“It’s family.”
Clara said:
“No. It’s fraud with relatives.”
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That line came from Teresa’s own later statement.
She remembered it because she hated it.
