Chapter 4 - The Rat in the Corner
By Friday of the first week, the local media had caught wind of the scandal. The headline of the Boston Herald read: LOGISTICS TYCOON ACCUSED OF FREEZING OUT ELDERLY MOTHER FOR MILLIONS.
I sat in my living room, watching the news broadcast while Dorothy quietly ate her chicken noodle soup. For the first time in years, the tension in her shoulders seemed to have vanished. She was surrounded by people who actually wanted her there, and the peace was changing her.
"Megan," she said softly, setting her spoon down. "I saw your father on the television. He looked so small. I never wanted this for him. I wanted him to be a good man, like his father."
"Some people choose money over everything, Grandma," I said, sitting on the arm of her chair. "But he can't hurt you anymore. The court has taken away his control over your money."
Suddenly, my phone vibrated on the coffee table. It was an restricted number.
I answered it, expecting a reporter. Instead, the voice on the other end was frantic, breathing heavily. It was my brother, Thomas. Thomas had always been my parents' golden child, the one they sent to Wharton, the one they groomed to take over the company while I was left to pay my own way through state college.
"Megan," Thomas hissed, his voice trembling. "You have to drop the lawsuit. You don't know what you're doing. If the bank pulls the corporate credit lines because of this media circus, the company goes under by Tuesday. I’ll lose my equity! I’ll lose my apartment!"
"Nice to hear from you too, Thomas," I said, a cold laugh escaping my lips. "No 'how is Grandma?' No 'did she survive the negative thirty-eight-degree night?' Just 'protect my equity.'"
"She’s seventy-eight, Megan! She’s had a good run!" Thomas yelled, his true colors flashing through his polished exterior. "Why are you ruining our lives for an old woman who won't even be here in ten years?"
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"Because she’s the only person in that family who ever loved us, Thomas," I said, my voice dropping into a deadly whisper. "And unlike you, my loyalty can't be bought with a corporate title. Tell Mom and Dad to enjoy the weekend, because on Monday, the forensic accountants are digging into the offshore accounts."
I hung up before he could reply, blocking the number instantly. I looked over at Dorothy, who was smiling softly at a framed photo of my grandfather. She hadn't heard a word of the phone call, and I was going to keep it that way.
