Chapter 4 - ANDREW WASN’T TRYING TO STEAL A HOUSE
He was trying to borrow against one.
That distinction transformed a bitter divorce dispute into financial fraud.
Andrew had created Bennett Heritage Holdings eighteen months before the separation.
The company had no employees.
No revenue.
No legitimate operating purpose.
What it did have was paperwork suggesting it held a beneficial interest in Claire’s mansion.
Using that claim, Andrew secured a $4.6 million private loan from Harbor Ridge Capital.
The funds did not go into the house.
They went into:
a restaurant venture,
a failed luxury rental development,
two personal investment accounts,
and payments to cover losses in Brock’s business.
Claire stared at the tracing report.
“Brock knew?”
Her forensic accountant, Mara Chen, shook her head.
“Not necessarily.”
Payments to Brock’s auto company were real.
Invoices existed.
Some work had actually been performed on Andrew’s vehicles.
The problem was the source of funds, not automatically the recipient.
Claire exhaled.
“Good.”
Mara looked surprised.
“You’re relieved?”
“I don’t need everyone to be guilty just because they’re related to him.”
That sentence became the standard for everything that followed.
Evidence, not revenge.
Andrew had lied.
Judith had trespassed and organized the forced move-in.
Madison had helped schedule the trucks.
Brock may simply have followed his wife into a family disaster.
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Different acts.
Different consequences.
