Chapter 15 - The Midnight Meeting
Against Julian’s advice, Emily agreed to meet her father, Robert, at a secluded cafe near the old train station. She insisted on sitting near the window, in full view of the public, and kept her phone recording in her pocket.
Robert looked older than his years, his posture slumped. He didn't offer a hug or pleasantries. He got straight to the point.
"You need to drop the restraining orders and give us fifty percent of the house’s value," Robert said, his voice a gravelly whisper. "If you don't, Jessica is going to release things to the press that will ruin your little design career permanently. Fake reviews, manufactured complaints... she’s already set it up."
Emily looked at the man who was supposed to protect her, feeling nothing but a profound sense of detachment. "You're threatening me, Dad. Still. Even now, when you're on the verge of losing everything."
"We are your family!" Robert snapped, a flash of his old rage breaking through his exhausted demeanor. "You owe us! We raised you, we fed you! You wouldn't even have that fancy design degree if we hadn't permitted you to go to school!"
"Permitted me?" Emily laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. "I worked three jobs to pay my own tuition while you paid for Jessica's luxury trips to Europe. I owed you nothing then, and I owe you less than nothing now."
She leaned in closer across the small table. "I know about the foundation, Dad. I know about the missing money. I know exactly why you need the cash before the October audit."
Robert’s face drained of color, turning a sickly, pasty white. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
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"If you don't drop this lawsuit by Friday," Emily continued, her voice entirely devoid of emotion, "Julian and I will deliver the complete financial ledger of your foundation directly to the District Attorney's office. Jessica won't be getting a house, Dad. She’ll be getting a prison uniform. And so will you."
Emily stood up, threw a five-dollar bill on the table for her untouched coffee, and walked out without looking back. As she stepped into the cool night air, she felt a profound sense of liberation. She had finally flipped the script.
