Chapter 188

When I woke up, I saw a bunch of missed calls on my phone, all from Irene.

I headed downstairs and found Savannah lounging on the couch.

I held up my phone for her to see. "See? I told you. They're all after the money Karen left me."

Savannah rolled her eyes. "This family must be really desperate."

"So, what do we do, Caroline? They keep bugging you. Blocking their numbers won't stop them from finding other ways to get to you. What's the plan?"

I chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I've got a plan."

I texted Irene, setting up a meeting for the next day at noon.

Savannah looked surprised. "Caroline, meeting her now might just make her cling to you even more."

"Trust me, it won't. Come with me to the bank tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Savannah and I went to the bank. I withdrew $400,000 from the $5 million I had and split it into two separate accounts.

I met Irene first. She was wearing sunglasses and her clothes were no longer designer brands. It seemed like she had downgraded her lifestyle since the company went under. Maybe that's why she was so desperate for money.

"Finally, you're here. I thought you wouldn't show up."

Irene took off her sunglasses and glared at me. "You've divorced Brandon, so give me Karen's money. How can you shamelessly keep our family's money?"

"And you had the nerve to kick Brandon out with nothing. Do you know how much he sacrificed for this family? You should give him half of your assets."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Give him half? Why?"

"Didn't I build the company from scratch? Brandon just took credit for my work and ran it into the ground. I'm being generous by not asking him for money. Don't you think your family should compensate me?"

"Compensate you? Dream on."

"Let me tell you, Caroline. The company's collapse has nothing to do with us. We did our best."

Her audacity made me laugh. "Nothing to do with you? Irene, don't think I don't know about the $10 million you embezzled from the company."

Her eyes flickered with panic. She hadn't expected me to know about that.

"Who told you?"

"Do you think I'm naive? I can audit the accounts. Do you want me to hand you over to the police right now?"

Her bravado deflated. "Brandon said he'd repay that money. Even if you turn me in, it won't matter."

"And let me tell you, since you're divorced, Karen's money must go to me."

Seeing she couldn't win the argument, she resorted to being unreasonable.

"Otherwise, you're not leaving today."

I chuckled. "Of course, I'll give it to you. I don't need your family's money. I came here today to give you the money."

I pushed one of the bank cards towards her. "There's $200,000 on this card."

Irene's face twisted with anger. She slammed the table and stood up. "Only $200,000? You're kidding, right? Karen couldn't have left just this much money."

"Did you pocket the rest? Hand it over. I don't believe you."

"If you don't believe me, you can check. See how much money Karen had. This amount is after deducting the cost of Jason's funeral."

"Why would we pay for Jason's funeral? He's not our family."

I smiled at Irene. "Aren't you afraid Karen will come after you for saying that? She told me this herself before she died. You can ask her."

Irene gritted her teeth, eyeing the $200,000 on the table. She wanted it but felt it wasn't enough.

Back when she was the CFO at my company, $200,000 was just her monthly expense.

"Do you want it or not? If not, I'll take it back."

"Renee's husband, Leo, also asked me for this $200,000 yesterday. But I chose to give it to you because you were decent to me once."

"And think about how Karen treated me. Do you really think she would leave me a lot of money? This is all there is. Do you expect me to give you more out of my own pocket?"

Irene's expression softened. She quickly grabbed the bank card. "Fine, I'll take it. This money is mine now."

"Sure, but you can't tell anyone else. If they come asking for money, I'll send them to you."

"If anyone finds out I gave you the money, I'll sue to get it back. Karen's will stated the money was for me, so legally, it's mine. If you take my money, I can sue to reclaim it."

Irene waved her hand impatiently. "Got it, got it. It's just some money. What a hassle."

After she left with the money, Savannah turned around from the booth behind me and gave me a thumbs up. "Caroline, that was brilliant. I get it now."

I smiled at her. "What do you get?"

"You told Irene you'd only give her $200,000 and not to tell anyone. Then you'll give the other $200,000 to someone else who wants the money and tell them the same thing. Each person thinks they got the money, so they won't talk, and they won't bother you again."

I nodded. "Exactly."

"Who are you giving the other $200,000 to?"

"Leo. He's the only other one in the Jordan family interested in this money."

I handed the other bank card to Savannah. "Can you deliver this to Leo and let me know when it's done? I'll call him afterward."

Savannah nodded eagerly and left with the $200,000.

After Savannah delivered the money, Leo called me before I could call him. "Ms. Sharp, what is this about?"

"Please, call me Caroline. This money was meant for Jason's funeral, as Karen wanted. I checked with the cemetery, and after the funeral, this is what was left."

"Irene came to me for the money, but I couldn't give it to her. I decided to give it to you instead, since you have a child to care for."