Chapter 2 - The Stolen Identity
"He couldn't use his own name because the SEC was already quietly watching him."
I tapped the screen again, swiping to the next document.
"So, he used the name of his youngest daughter."
"Me."
A series of loan applications, wire transfers, and offshore corporate registrations flashed across the screen.
Every single one bore my name.
Every single one carried a forged version of my signature.
"Arthur Sterling opened seven shell companies using my social security number."
"He funneled illegal kickbacks through these accounts while I was working three jobs just to pay for my textbooks."
"He destroyed my credit score."
"He set me up to take the fall if the federal investigators ever came knocking."
The silence in the courtyard had completely vanished.
It was replaced by a rising tide of furious whispers and shocked exclamations.
Parents in the audience who were actually shareholders in Sterling Enterprises began to stand up.
My mother's dramatic tears had instantly dried up.
She stood frozen, her hand still pressed against her chest, her mouth hanging open.
"Sarah, please!" she shrieked, dropping her theatrical tone entirely.
"You are destroying your family!"
"I am destroying a crime syndicate," I corrected her softly into the microphone.
I swiped to a new file.
This time, it was an audio recording.
"Two weeks ago, I finally gained access to the locked filing cabinet in my father's home office."
"I found the ledgers, the fake passports, and a digital recorder he used for his own dictations."
May you like
I pressed play on the podium console.
My father's arrogant, unmistakable voice blasted through the university speakers.
