Chapter 6 - The Counter-Attack
Word of the frozen accounts and impending lawsuits hit the family WhatsApp group by Tuesday afternoon like a nuclear bomb.
My phone—which had previously been silent or flooded with demanding text messages from Margaret and Jennifer—started buzzing incessantly while I was sitting in the sunroom reading a book.
I picked it up and saw a barrage of furious messages flashing across the screen:
Margaret: Julian has lost his mind! He froze my credit cards! How am I supposed to pay my country club dues? Emma, you manipulative bitch, call your husband right now and fix this!
Jennifer: My corporate card was declined at Nordstrom! Emma, answer your phone! This is all your fault, you ungrateful gold-digger!
Michael: Bro, seriously? Freezing Mom’s accounts over a kitchen argument? Unfreeze my car lease right now or you'll regret it!
I didn't block them immediately. I just sat there, reading their panic, marveling at how quickly their entitlement dissolved the moment their unearned wealth was ripped away. For five years, they had treated me like their personal punching bag and floor mop, secure in the belief that Julian’s money gave them infinite immunity.
Now, reality had come knocking.
Before I could even reply, a loud knock echoed through the front foyer.
I walked out of the sunroom and opened the front door. Standing on the porch wasn't a courier or a delivery driver—it was Margaret herself, flanked by Jennifer, who looked like she was on the verge of a hysterical breakdown.
Margaret’s face was twisted in rage. She tried to push past me into the foyer, but I stood my ground, planting my feet firmly in the doorway.
"Move aside, you little parasite!" Margaret snarled, her voice losing all its usual aristocratic polish. "Where is Julian? You've poisoned his mind against us! After everything we sacrificed to keep this family together while he was building his stupid restaurants!"
"You aren't welcome here, Margaret," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, carrying a quiet strength I didn't know I possessed.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Jennifer shrieked, stepping up behind her mother. "You trapped my brother! You manipulated him into cutting off his own flesh and blood just so you could sit around doing nothing in this mansion!"
"Doing nothing?" I let out a bitter, cold laugh. "For five years, while Julian was working overseas, your mother forced me to live like a prisoner in my own home. She took my credit cards, monitored my groceries, and made me scrub your floors while you threw parties with my husband's money. The only thing Julian did wrong was trust you."
Margaret’s eyes flared with pure venom. She raised her hand, aiming a vicious slap straight across my face.
I didn't flinch.
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Before Margaret’s hand could connect, a strong hand shot out from behind me, catching her wrist with iron force.
Julian stepped out into the doorway, his eyes burning with absolute fury. He had returned home early from his office meeting, walking up the driveway just in time to witness his mother’s assault.
