She thought she could move the paperwork quietly, temporarily transferring the deed to a corporation to get quick cash before anyone noticed. The company she chose to facilitate this desperate transaction was Zenith Systems, which was my company.
When the notification hit my desk, I initially thought it was a clerical error until I saw Brielle’s forged signatures and the frantic nature of the documents. I could have exposed her right then or blocked the transfer, but I chose to wait because I still harbored a small hope that my parents loved me.
The night of my twenty-fifth birthday provided the final answer I needed when they called my supposed boss forward to humiliate me. The man stood up, looking flustered, and told the room that he couldn’t fire me because he was actually an independent contractor working for my firm.
My father’s brow furrowed in confusion and my mother looked lost, while Brielle simply stared at the floor as the reality began to shift. I understood in that moment that the truth wasn’t just going to hurt them; it was going to completely dismantle their lives.
Four days later, I pulled up to the iron gates of the mansion with my lead counsel and a court official by my side. As the gates swung open, I knew that for the first time in my life, I wasn’t the one who was about to be left homeless.
Part 3
My father opened the front door with a look of extreme annoyance, clearly expecting me to be there to beg for their forgiveness. “What are you doing back here, Chloe?” he asked sharply.
“I am here to discuss the legal status of this house,” I replied calmly as my mother appeared in the foyer and Brielle descended the stairs. Brielle was wrapped in a silk robe and wearing her usual crown of arrogance, but her face turned ghostly white when she saw the legal team behind me.
We sat down in the grand living room, the very place where they had made me feel like an unwanted ghost for two decades. My lawyer opened her briefcase and placed several notarized documents on the marble coffee table for everyone to see.
“This property no longer belongs to the family trust,” my attorney stated with professional coldness. “As of three months ago, the deed has been legally registered to Zenith Systems.”