Chapter 6 - The Emergency Meeting
On Sunday night, my father texted me a single address: a small conference room in an executive suite downtown. “No police, no corporate lawyers, Emily. Just your mother, me, and Sarah. Let’s resolve this like a family.”
I showed up, but I didn't go alone. Julian Vance sat beside me, his leather briefcase containing the official restraining orders and asset preservation notices.
When we entered, my mother looked as if she hadn't slept in a week. Her pristine hair was messy, and her red Christmas sweater was replaced by a plain, dark jacket. Sarah sat in the corner, stripped of her diamond earrings, looking small and defeated.
"We offer a settlement," Dad said, throwing a yellow legal pad onto the table. "We will sign over the remaining equity in our primary residence to you, Emily. It’s worth about eighty thousand dollars. In exchange, you drop the civil suit, withdraw the bank audit, and let us finalize Sarah’s wedding. She’s already lost the venue, but we can save the rest if the accounts are unfrozen."
Julian didn't even look at the pad. "Mr. Harrison, you don't seem to understand the gravity of your situation. You are not in a position to negotiate. The equity in your home is already encumbered by the title company’s fraud lawsuit. You are offering my client a asset that you don't legally own."
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My mother burst into desperate tears. "Emily, please! She's your sister! Do you want her to have nothing? Do you want her wedding day to be a joke?"
"Her wedding day was built on my stolen life, Mom," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "You stood at that Christmas dinner table and told thirty people I didn't belong unless I paid for your crimes. You didn't care if I had nothing. You didn't care if my life was a joke."
