Chapter 12
The forensic audit spread through the rest of the Carrow family.
That was the cost of Part 8.
Margaux was not the only person who had used loose family controls.
One cousin had charged personal vacations to a hospitality subsidiary.
A family foundation had paid for events that produced little charitable benefit.
Several vehicles supposedly used for security were almost entirely personal.
Benedict himself had approved business reimbursement for two trips that should have been divided between business and family expenses.
He repaid the money.
His uncle laughed bitterly.
“You’re paying back your own company.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the accountants are right.”
That answer apparently offended everyone.
New controls were adopted.
Trust statements went directly to legal guardians and independent advisers.
No family-office employee could redirect beneficiary reports without written confirmation.
Minor beneficiary expenses required documentation identifying the actual child who received the benefit.
Large discretionary purchases required a second review.
Some relatives called it humiliating.
Grant called it bookkeeping.
Meanwhile, Margaux faced a formal surcharge action.
The trustee sought repayment of improperly charged amounts, professional fees, and losses attributable to unauthorized transactions.
Her attorneys contested several categories.
Some spending genuinely benefited Posy indirectly.
Shared family trips.
Joint events.
Household costs.
Those were separated from clearly improper expenses.
Benedict accepted the distinctions even when they reduced the amount Margaux might owe.
Justice did not improve by exaggeration.
The strongest evidence involved duplicated invoices and reimbursements routed into Margaux-controlled accounts.
That material was referred to law enforcement for review.
No instant conviction followed.
Investigators interviewed vendors.
Subpoenaed records.
Compared signatures.
Margaux remained free while the case developed.
Several Carrows complained.
Benedict told them:
“She doesn’t become guilty faster because we dislike waiting.”
That sentence would have sounded impossible coming from him a year earlier.
Posy cared about none of it.
She wanted to know whether she could have a birthday cake again.
Benedict smiled.
“Any day you want.”
She shook her head.
May you like
“Next birthday.”
That was progress.
