Chapter 6 - THE RESERVE
Rivas Rewind Media had earned more than Joshua knew.
Not millions every month.
But enough.
Brand deals.
Platform revenue.
Affiliate commissions.
Licensing.
Caleb had built a real business.
An accountant named Priya Shah handled the books.
Joshua met her with Caleb present because Joshua had no legal right to inspect the company’s finances on demand.
Caleb voluntarily agreed after Sunridge made review a condition of continuing talks.
Priya explained the “minor participant reserve.”
It was not a trust created by law.
Not automatically Lily’s legal property.
It was an internal policy Rivas Rewind adopted to make sponsors comfortable and to ensure children appearing regularly would receive a defined share.
Fifteen percent of revenue attributable to campaigns featuring minors was supposed to be set aside.
Joshua asked:
“Was it?”
Priya hesitated.
“Partially.”
“How partially?”
There were bookkeeping entries.
A reserve liability existed.
But the cash was not segregated.
It remained in the company operating account.
Joshua looked at Caleb.
“You told sponsors it was reserved separately.”
Caleb answered:
“I said reserved.”
“The proposal says separately administered.”
“That wording came from a template.”
Priya corrected him.
“No. I asked for a separate account last year.”
Caleb looked at her.
Joshua leaned forward.
“Why wasn’t it opened?”
Priya turned toward Nicholas.
Nicholas said nothing.
Joshua stared at his father.
“Why?”
Nicholas finally answered.
“Because the company needed cash.”
There it was.
Rivas Rewind had borrowed heavily to build a small production studio.
Caleb expected a major platform contract.
The contract disappeared after an algorithm and ad-policy change.
Revenue fell.
The studio loan remained.
Nicholas had personally guaranteed part of it.
“How much?” Joshua asked.
“Two hundred thousand.”
Nicholas said it quietly.
The minor reserve liability had reached about sixty-seven thousand dollars.
The company still owed it internally.
The cash itself had helped cover:
payroll,
studio rent,
loan interest,
editors,
insurance.
Not luxury cars.
Not secret vacations.
Operating survival.
Joshua felt no relief.
“You used money you told sponsors was being protected.”
Nicholas snapped:
“It was company money.”
Priya said:
“It was company cash against a designated liability.”
Nicholas glared.
Joshua noticed the distinction.
Again, not a clean theft story.
A governance failure.
Caleb said:
“We were going to fund the account after Sunridge closed.”
Joshua laughed bitterly.
“So you needed Lily to perform in the campaign that would refill the reserve created from videos she already appeared in.”
Caleb flinched.
That was exactly how it sounded.
Then Priya opened another ledger.
“There’s something else.”
Joshua looked at her.
“The reserve isn’t only for Lily.”
“Who else?”
Priya turned the screen.
Eight minors.
Cousins.
Family friends.
Children from recurring videos.
Joshua stared.
One name appeared far more often than the others.
LILY RIVAS.
Attributable reserve:
$38,420.
Joshua looked at Caleb.
“Why is hers so high?”
Caleb said nothing.
Priya answered.
May you like
“Because Lily is the highest-performing recurring person on the channel.”
Joshua suddenly understood why everyone had been so unwilling to let her become “boring.”
