Chapter 5
Not long after that, the doorbell rang.
My father went to answer it, and two uniformed police officers stepped inside.
"Who called 911?" one of them asked.
"I did," I said, raising my hand.
The officer looked around the room at everyone and frowned. "What happened here?"
I gave them a quick summary of everything, keeping it short and clear.
I explained about the joint account, my assets from before the marriage, the money my parents gave me as a wedding gift, and how Michael transferred the money out without asking me.
I also showed the officers the transfer records on my phone and my personal account book.
The evidence was solid, and everything was laid out clearly.
Linda was wailing and making a scene, going on and on without making much sense. "Officers, don't listen to her.
"We're family. What's wrong with keeping our money together? My son took the money to help pay for his sister's education. That's a good thing. This woman is jealous."
The officers frowned as they listened.
One of them, an older officer, turned to Michael. "Is that true? Did you really move two hundred thousand dollars out of the joint account before the wedding?"
Michael kept his head down, and his voice was barely audible. "Yes. But we were about to get married."
"But you didn't end up getting married, did you?" the officer pressed.
Michael was left speechless.
"And is all that money really hers, like she claims?" the officer asked.
Michael gritted his teeth and nodded.
The officer's face turned serious. "Young man, this is no small thing. This isn't just a family argument anymore.
"What you did counts as theft, and with this much money involved, you're looking at criminal charges."
The words "theft" and "criminal charges" hit Michael and Linda like a punch to the gut.
Linda stopped crying immediately. She finally realized this was way beyond what her usual tantrums could fix.
"Officers, please, you can't do this," she begged. "My son is a good person. He just made a stupid mistake."
The officers ignored her and turned to me. "Ma'am, how do you want to settle this?"
"I'm giving him one last chance," I said, looking straight at Michael, my voice firm and clear. "Give me back my money, right now. Otherwise, I'm pressing charges."
Michael's whole body trembled, and he snapped his head up. "The money is already with Irene. She used it to pay her tuition," he said.
"Then tell her to send it back."
"No way," Michael blurted out without thinking. "That's Irene's future. I'm not going to ruin things for her."
"So you think it's okay to ruin my life instead?" I shot back. "Your sister's future matters, but my life doesn't count for anything?
"Michael, I'm saying this one last time. You can either give me back my money, or you can say goodbye to your own future. Your choice."
Just then, Michael's phone rang at the worst possible moment.
The name on the screen made everyone's heart tighten. It was Irene calling.
The ringtone cut through the silent living room and sounded unbearably loud.
Everyone's eyes were glued to that glowing screen.
We had been talking about her, and here she was calling.
Michael grabbed the phone like it was his last lifeline and fumbled to answer it. "Hello, Irene," he said, and his voice sounded like he was about to cry.
"Michael, why is it so noisy over there?" Irene's voice came through, bright and cheerful. "Are you still at the wedding, toasting with your bride?"
Michael didn't say anything, but his breathing got heavier.
"I called to let you know I got the money," she continued, bubbling with excitement. "Two hundred thousand dollars, every single cent.
"You're the best brother ever. And tell your bride I said thanks too. Once I finish my PhD, I'll definitely repay you both."
Her words, "your bride," stung more than anything. Everyone in the living room heard every single one of them.
The two officers exchanged awkward glances.
Michael was holding the phone, his hands shaking violently. He didn't know what to say.
I took a deep breath and reached my hand out to him. "Give me the phone."
He tried to pull it back, but the officer next to me stepped forward and gave him a hard look.
Michael's hands trembled. In the end, he reluctantly handed over the phone.
I took it and pressed the speaker button.
Irene's voice echoed through the room. "Michael, why aren't you saying anything? Is the signal bad?"
"Irene, it's me, Rachel," I said calmly.
Irene paused for a moment. "Rachel?" Her voice sounded surprised and a little nervous.
"I'm not his bride anymore. The wedding is off."
"What?" Irene cried out, clearly shocked. "How did that happen? What went wrong?"
"You should ask your brother what happened. But right now, there's only one thing I need to tell you.
"That two hundred thousand dollars you got just now wasn't Michael's money.
"Half of it came from my savings after working for five years, and the other half was the wedding gift my parents gave me.
"Michael transferred it to you the day before the wedding without telling me."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and I could imagine what Irene's face must have looked like right then.
"Irene, I don't care where you are or what you're doing," I continued. "You have twenty-four hours to return every single dollar to my account. Otherwise..."
I paused, my voice turning cold. "I'm not only going to sue your brother for fraud and theft, but I'm also going to report you for accepting stolen money.
"I'll send a formal complaint to your school and to every PhD program you've applied to. I doubt any good university would want to admit someone with a record like that, especially if it involves a criminal case.
"So you can either have a bright future or no future at all. The choice is yours."
"No, you can't do this," Michael screamed, and before Irene could respond, he grabbed the phone back from me.
He turned to face me, his voice shaking with rage. "Rachel, if you mess with my sister, I will destroy you."
His eyes were bloodshot and his face was twisted with anger. He looked like a cornered animal.
Then he charged at me without warning.