My story is one of heartbreaking betrayal by those I trusted most – my aunt Elaine and her son-in-law Scott. It all began when I started having concerns about my mother’s financial situation, especially given her deteriorating mental state due to dementia.
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Initially, I trusted Elaine and Scott implicitly. They were family, after all. So when Scott attended a meeting with Andrew Kwong, Elaine’s accountant, I was uncomfortable but willing to give it a chance. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of a nightmare that would unravel the very fabric of our family.
My first real alarm bell rang when I discovered that Scott had been paid $4000 from my mother’s account without my knowledge. When I requested information from Andrew Kwong about the work Scott had allegedly done to justify this payment, I was met with silence. It became clear to me that Scott’s involvement in my mother’s affairs was not in her best interest, and I made my stance clear: I did not want Scott working for my mother anymore.
But the real turning point came on a night that will forever be etched in my memory. I went to Elaine’s house to retrieve some important documents belonging to my mother. My intention was simply to scan these documents to ensure we had digital copies over the Easter weekend break. I could never have imagined the ordeal that awaited me.
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At Elaine’s house, I was confronted not only by her refusal to hand over the documents but also by the unexpected presence of my mother, who had been brought there by Elaine. The situation quickly escalated, with my mother, in her confused state, bringing up painful memories of my late father. I was reduced to tears, overwhelmed by frustration and hurt.
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And then, the unthinkable happened. Elaine’s husband, heavily medicated due to a recent car accident, physically struck me. I was shocked. Here I was, trying to do right by my vulnerable mother, and I was being assaulted in the home of a loved one.
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After this Elaine gave me my mother’s documents, little did I know, this was just the beginning of a web of deceit that would shatter the trust I had placed in my own family.
In the wake of the traumatic incident at Elaine’s house, I found myself grappling with a profound sense of confusion, hurt and anger. The root of this can be traced back to the actions, or rather inactions, of Andrew the accountant, Elaine’s accountant.
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Andrew the accountant’s conduct had been a source of frustration and concern for me. Despite my numerous attempts to communicate with him, he consistently ignored me, choosing instead to communicate exclusively with Scott and Elaine. This lack of transparency and inclusion was not only unprofessional but also deeply hurtful. To make matters worse, Andrew the accountant didn’t even have a contact number or qualifications available in his email signature or online. If he provided a way to reach him directly, the whole distressing incident at Elaine’s house might have been avoided.
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Fueled by anger from the previous event at Elaine’s house, I was determined to remove Andrew the accountant from his position. In this quest, I turned to my own accountant, Grahame Hale, a man I trusted implicitly and believed would have my best interests at heart…