My mother brought with her a plate of brownies, as though bringing dessert was all that was needed to soften the blow of the truth.
I allowed everyone to finish eating before I began to speak.
After ten minutes, I opened up my laptop and presented my father, mother, Clara, and Uncle Ramón with my findings.
“Let’s discuss the 180,000 pesos.”
Clara rolled her eyes.
My father slammed his palm against the tabletop, causing the plates to jump and clatter.
“That is enough.”
I replied, “No, not this time.”
I told them all.
Clara at the airport.April 15, 2021
At noon that day, I sat in my apartment on the East Side of Los Angeles. I was sitting down to write an article when I received an unexpected text message. Clara, my friend, was coming over to my place. She was on her way from work and would arrive shortly. The following is a list of items that were sent to me from Clara while she was shopping.
Shopping; Clara was leaving my apartment at this time.
Video footage from the hallway shows Clara leaving my apartment.
Clara also sent me a receipt that was written in my father’s handwriting.
A photo was taken of her USB drive.
Finally, she sent me an access log from my father’s office computer.
After I received this information, the room became very quiet.
Clara told me she wasn’t supposed to let me see these things.
It was an unintentional admission of guilt.
My mother looked at Clara with a look of disbelief, as if she were looking at someone else entirely.
I asked Clara what it meant.
Clara began to cry and confessed: “Your dad told me that if I had something from your business, he would drop the charges against me.”
My father screamed at Clara that she was lying.
No one believed him anymore.
I pulled out four envelopes: the complaint against Clara, the bank statement related to my father’s business, screenshots of emails from Clara’s computer, and the USB access log.
I told my father that Clara had until [date on the letter] to write an admission of her involvement, return everything she took from my business, and repay the money she owed me for using my father’s company to protect herself. I told my father that if it could be proven that he had hidden or used any of the information from my business, I would have my attorney contact him directly to address this serious matter.
When my mother covered her mouth, she was shocked.
Clara was shaking from fear.
My father, who had gotten up to come toward me, stopped short of getting to me because my uncle Ramón had gotten up as well.
This was the first time that I could remember that my father didn’t reach me when he had come toward me.
After my father and uncle had gone, I changed my locks because even though I received back my spare key, I wasn’t using logic. It became part of my life.
When I went to my locksmith to have my keys made, he made me two new keys. I put one of them in my safe.After sitting by the door, I cried uncontrollably for what seemed to be years.
My tears were shed because of the things my sister and father had taken from me.
My mother’s active support during this was evidenced by her bringing brownies to a meeting where we would confront my sister about her betrayal.
Deep down, I wanted someone to come to my aid and tell me that I was also a victim.
But no one came.
During the next several weeks, I was back to making phone calls to attorneys and learning how and why certain things had happened.
I advised my clients that I had paused their accounts and that no one would have access to these accounts because none of my accounts held sensitive passwords or login information. I did this because I built a good, sound, solid ”infrastructure” for my business.
One of my clients told me, “Sometimes, preventing people from having access to your system isn’t about stopping them from getting in. It’s about locking every door inside your system in case someone does get in.”
I taped that quote to my computer.
Clara tried everything she could think of to manipulate me. Guilt, anger, nostalgia…
“Do you remember all those times we played at Grandma’s house?”
Yeah, I remembered!
I also remembered that I had always been the one fixing what Clara had broken.
My father’s text message to me stated that I had turned into a “transactional and cold person.”
My only reply was, “Give back everything you took from me, be truthful about it, and don’t call me again.”
Later, Paola called me and told me there had been too many lies.
I asked her why she accepted the trip.
She replied, “Clara said you owed her.”
That motto of our family had become law.You owe her a favor.
Later, one of my lawyers was able to confirm that many of the things purchased using my credit card had been delivered to Paola’s house, my mother’s house, and my father’s office.
My mother came to my apartment with a bag.
I refused to let her in.
She claimed that she had no idea the gifts had been purchased using my credit card.
I asked her, “What did you think?”
She whispered, “I wanted to believe it was okay.”
This was the first time my mother had ever been honest with me.
My mother would rather believe Clara than protect me since it was an easier option.
I told her that if she wanted to fix the situation, she needs to be honest.
Two days later, the family chat blew up.
My mother admitted to part of what happened. My aunt called out Paola. Uncle Ramón called my father.
This was the first time no one rushed to defend Clara.
And then one rainy night, Clara came to my door alone and crying.
I didn’t let her in.
I spoke to her through the security camera.
She told me that the detective had reached out to her and said that if I didn’t drop this case, there would be a record of her.
“I didn’t give you a record. You made the reason for it,” I replied.
She then lowered her voice.
“Dad says that if you don’t stop, he will reach out to your clients and say that you mishandled their information.”
I smiled back at her, but the smile was not with joy.“I truly appreciate you acknowledging that on camera.”While the detective remained outside, I made a phone call to her. In the meantime, my father got out of his car with the headlights off in the parking area. When he saw the squad car pull in, he looked completely different, as if he realized that I was no longer just an obedient daughter.