Chapter 1 - The Golden Sister and the Blank Check
I stared at the spreadsheet on my laptop, rubbing my tired eyes.
The wedding budget for my younger sister, Natalie, had just crossed the ninety-thousand-dollar mark.
I was paying for exactly half of it.
Growing up, Natalie was always the golden child of the Marsh family. She was the beauty queen, the cheerleader, the one my parents paraded around.
I was just Eleanor. The quiet one who went to software engineering school and actually made money.
My phone buzzed on the desk.
"Ellie, did you approve the floral upgrade?" my mother’s voice demanded the second I answered.
"Mom, we already agreed on a ten-thousand-dollar floral budget," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "The new invoice is for fifteen."
"Natalie wants white cascading orchids, Eleanor. It’s her special day."
"I can't just print money, Mom."
"Well, you promised to help," my mother sighed, laying on the guilt. "Don't ruin this for her just because you're single."
I bit my tongue, tasting blood.
I had agreed to help because my father claimed his business was struggling and they couldn't give Natalie her dream wedding.
"Fine," I muttered. "I'll transfer the extra five thousand to Natalie's account tomorrow."
"Thank you, dear. You're a good sister," she said, though it sounded rehearsed.
She hung up without another word.
I closed the spreadsheet and opened the shared Google Drive to double-check the florist's actual invoice.
Something didn't add up.
The PDF file from 'Blossom & Vine' looked slightly pixelated around the total amount.
I frowned, downloading the file and running it through a basic metadata checker.
The document had been edited yesterday. By Natalie.
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My heart did a slow, painful thud against my ribs.
Why would my sister forge a higher invoice from the florist?
