might now have enough money to save them.
PART 4: THE MOMENT THEY LEARNED WHAT I WAS WORTH
A few weeks after Monica uncovered our parents’ financial collapse, another secret surfaced by accident. She was working at Kelton and Associates, a corporate law firm in Seattle, when a senior partner handed her a new merger-and-acquisition file involving Cascade Media Group and a company called Hayes Audio Network.
At first, nothing seemed unusual. Then Monica opened the incorporation documents and saw the registered address: 1824 Hawthorne Boulevard, Unit 12, Portland, Oregon.
It was my address.
She turned to the following page and saw the founder listed as J.S. Hayes. After searching the name online and comparing it with everything she knew about me, the pieces finally fell into place.
“Julia.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re J.S. Hayes.”
For several seconds, I said nothing.
“How did you find out?”
“I’m working on your acquisition deal. The Cascade deal. I saw the paperwork.”
She had discovered that the sister everyone believed had disappeared into an ordinary life had actually built a company worth several million dollars. Hayes Audio Network had grown quietly because I had deliberately kept my face, real name, and family history away from the business.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because the last time I trusted our family with money, I lost everything. Why would I risk it again?”
Monica fell silent.
“You thought I’d tell them.”
“Wouldn’t you have?”
She took a long moment before answering.
“Seven years ago, maybe. Now? Never.”
A few days later, we met at a coffee shop in Portland, where Monica showed me a message from Mom. Our parents were becoming increasingly desperate, and Monica believed it was only a matter of time before they came looking for money again.
