Chapter 11 - My Stolen Work
The spreadsheet was twelve years old.
A real estate liquidity model I built for Asterion before leaving.
It had no Blackwood data originally.
Someone copied framework.
Changed assumptions.
Inserted mansion valuation, debt, trust distributions, and expected refinancing.
Why did Julian have it?
My old backup drive.
Stored in home study.
I had not opened in years.
Camera? No direct evidence.
Digital forensics on Julian’s laptop found file imported eighteen months earlier.
User:
JBlackwood.
He took it.
Not illegal necessarily to copy spouse’s old personal file? But using proprietary Asterion work could be.
Asterion investigated.
The model contained methodology that may have been confidential.
I had retained old copy improperly after leaving?
That scared me.
I called Asterion counsel.
“I found it on a personal backup from my employment years.”
“Did you knowingly retain?”
“I forgot.”
“Did you use commercially?”
“No.”
“Did Julian?”
“Apparently.”
This became my own accountability issue.
Asterion reviewed.
The model was old, mostly generic by then, and not current trade secret after methodology had appeared in published materials.
They requested destruction of remaining copies after litigation preservation.
I complied.
No lawsuit.
But it reminded me:
Victims can make mistakes too.
Being harmed does not turn every past action pure.
Julian used model to produce exaggerated forecasts.
One assumption:
Hart beneficiary support likely available.
He plugged my trust interest into financial projections as though future distributions would support Blackwood obligations.
That made lenders believe family backing was stronger than reality.
Did I authorize?
No.
Did bank rely?
Conditional proposal, not funded.
Still fraud exposure.
Julian’s defense:
He believed marital relationship made support likely.
Emails contradicted.
Julian:
Evelyn will never fund this voluntarily.
Vanessa:
Then guarantee solves.
Intent.
The financial case strengthened.
Then prosecutors formally charged Julian with:
Assault.
Unlawful restraint/confinement.
Child endangerment related to locking Penny in cold basement during domestic violence event.
Bank fraud conspiracy/attempt.
Forgery/false document offenses.
Obstruction related to witness coordination? Need evidence. Family affidavits maybe he asked. Later.
No attempted murder.
No kidnapping to hide body.
No fantastical charges.
Serious.
Grounded.
Vanessa was charged separately.
She entered plea negotiations.
Julian pleaded not guilty.
The divorce court froze certain marital asset transfers.
Not all assets.
Normal expenses continued.
I disclosed mine.
He disclosed his.
Then we discovered $900,000 missing from a Blackwood account.
My first thought:
Vanessa.
Wrong.
The money had gone to Julian’s criminal defense retainer and business restructuring months before charges.
Legal.
Expensive.
Not hidden theft.
Again:
Suspicion corrected by records.
I was becoming better at that.
Penny was becoming better too.
One afternoon, she spilled milk.
Froze.
Looked at me.
I said:
“Paper towels.”
She blinked.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
May you like
She started laughing.
Small things mattered.
