The night my divorce became final, my ex-husband, Landon, tried to buy a $640,000 necklace using my company card. When the payment was rejected, he angrily accused me of embarrassing him. I reminded him that he had never worked for my business or owned any part of it. My father, Martin, pointed out that Landon had confused years of access with actual ownership.

I immediately demanded the return of all company cards, keys, documents, and devices. Soon after, an alert revealed a suspicious $1.2 million payment request to Northbridge Advisory, supposedly approved with my electronic signature. I had never authorized it, so my father contacted forensic accountant Daniel Ross to investigate and preserve the evidence.

The following morning, my assistant, Olivia, discovered that Northbridge Advisory was registered to a Delaware mailbox. Its consulting contract also carried my signature from a Saturday when I was attending a convention in Chicago. Daniel’s investigation uncovered approximately $286,000 in questionable expenses over eighteen months, including payments to unfamiliar marketing and administrative companies.

One suspicious recipient was connected to Richard Cole, an investment consultant Landon had introduced at our anniversary celebration. Archived records also showed private meetings between Landon, Richard, and several people connected to the company’s finances. Meanwhile, Landon’s girlfriend, Tessa, insisted he deserved access to my money because he had supposedly helped build the business.

My attorney, Rebecca Shaw, soon confirmed that the financial irregularities required immediate legal action. We secured records, contacted banking authorities, and restricted suspicious access. After twelve years of protecting Landon’s feelings, I finally focused on protecting my company. I was determined to recover what had been taken and let the evidence reveal the truth.