Chapter 16 - The Company
Rowan Residential Restoration shut down temporarily.
An outside accountant reviewed everything.
The financial picture was messy.
Adrian had moved client deposits into an unauthorized account.
Some money covered legitimate company costs.
Some covered his personal debts.
Not all clients suffered permanent loss because remaining funds and insurance covered projects.
Still serious.
Caleb had not authorized the transfers.
The accountant found emails showing Adrian repeatedly avoided explaining shortfalls.
This established motive.
But the prosecution did not turn the financial case into the entire story.
People sometimes assume:
Money explains everything.
It did not.
Adrian had opportunities to stop.
Release Caleb.
Call an attorney.
Confess to the accounting misconduct.
Instead he escalated because admitting the first wrongdoing threatened his identity.
He was the competent brother.
The one holding the business together after Emily died.
The one helping with Lila.
The indispensable one.
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Caleb discovering the account meant the story Adrian told about himself was about to collapse.
So he tried to control reality instead.
