Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
"Richard," Grandma ordered, turning her back on Patricia entirely. "Draft an immediate confession of judgment and an asset pledge agreement."
"Right away, Margaret," Richard replied, drawing a legal pad and a gold fountain pen from his pocket.
"What does that mean?" Uncle Robert asked, his voice shaking as he looked between the lawyers.
"It means," Richard explained dispassionately, "that Mrs. Miller will immediately execute a full confession of guilt detailing her theft of $180,000 meant for Nora Bennett. In lieu of immediate criminal arrest tonight, she will transfer full legal title of this residence, along with all personal accounts and vehicles, to a trust created solely for Nora and Lily Bennett."
"You can't take our house!" Patricia sobbed from the floor. "Where are we supposed to live?"
"You have two hours to pack your bags," Grandma stated, her voice devoid of warmth. "If this document is not signed, sealed, and notarized by eight o'clock tonight, Richard will notify the United States Attorney's Office. You will be arrested before Thanksgiving dinner is over, Patricia. And so will your son, Julian."
My heart was pounding in my throat. I stood holding Lily, looking at my grandmother. "Grandma... you don't have to do all this..."
Grandma walked over to me, taking my hand in hers. Her skin was soft, warm, and smelled of lavender.
"Nora, my dear," she murmured, looking into my eyes with deep remorse. "I failed you. I allowed these snakes to stand between us because I was too proud to call you myself when Evan died. I thought you wanted distance. I will never forgive myself for letting you suffer."
"You didn't know," I whispered, tears finally leaking down my cheeks.
"I know now," Grandma said firmly. "And I am going to make sure no one ever touches you or Lily again."
Uncle Robert looked at his wife, then at the legal pad Richard was holding out. The reality was stark: sign the papers and forfeit their wealth, or watch Patricia and Julian spend the next fifteen years in a federal penitentiary.
"Sign it, Patricia," Robert said through gritted teeth.
"Robert, no!"
"SIGN IT!" Robert screamed, slamming his fist onto the wall so hard a picture frame rattled. "You ruined us! You dragged our son into federal crime! Sign the papers or I will call the police myself!"
Crying uncontrollably, her hands shaking so violently she could barely hold the pen, Patricia dragged herself up to the dining table. She pressed her signature onto the confession and the asset transfer documents, forfeiting her home, her bank accounts, and her pride in a matter of minutes.
Clara Vance witnessed the signature, stamping it with her official notary seal.
"It is done," Clara announced.
Grandma turned to my mother, Denise. "And as for you, Denise... you are leaving with them. If you cannot be a mother to Nora when she is at her lowest, you do not deserve to be part of her life when she rises."
May you like
Denise looked at me, her eyes pleading, but I stayed silent. She had ignored my calls for months, making excuses every time I asked for help with babysitting or groceries. She had chosen Patricia's comfortable circle over her own daughter.
"Pack your things," Grandma told them all. "All of you."
