Chapter 2 - The House They Thought Was Theirs
I did not return home that night.
Skylar and I checked into a small hotel.
Brandon called seventy-three times.
I knew because my phone kept counting.
I did not answer.
At eleven thirty, he sent a message.
Charlotte, this is ridiculous. Call me.
At midnight:
Mom is crying.
At twelve fifteen:
Hailey says the cards are declining everywhere. What did you do?
At one in the morning:
The contractor needs the deposit by tomorrow.
That was the message that mattered.
Not:
Where are you?
Is Skylar okay?
Why did you leave?
Just money.
The renovation.
The deposit.
I looked at the screen.
Then blocked his number.
The next morning, I met my attorney, David Bennett.
He had been helping me investigate the financial irregularities.
I placed the receipt from the seafood dinner on his desk.
Then I showed him Hailey’s message.
David read it twice.
“Did you authorize construction work?”
“No.”
“Any remodeling?”
“No.”
“Architect?”
“No.”
“Loan?”
“No.”
He opened his laptop.
Then looked at me.
“Charlotte, I think we need to move quickly.”
He showed me something I had not seen before.
A draft agreement.
My house listed as collateral.
The renovation was supposed to increase its value.
Then, according to the documents, a new line of credit would be opened.
The money would be transferred to a company connected to Brandon’s hidden bank account.
My stomach turned.
“They’re going to use my house to borrow money.”
David nodded.
“Or they already tried.”
I thought about Skylar sitting in the dark kitchen.
Instant noodles.
I thought about Brandon eating crab.
I looked at David.
“What can I do?”
He closed the folder.
May you like
“First, we stop them.”
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