Chapter 9 - The Confrontation

"You ruined yourself, Eleanor," I said, stepping down the porch stairs with the red binder held firmly in my hands.
"Give us back access to the bank accounts!" Dad demanded, stepping toward me aggressively. "I am the owner of this house! I am the head of this family!"
"You're not the owner of anything, Richard," Theodore's voice rang out clearly from the porch.
The Deputy Sheriff stepped out of his cruiser and walked up to my father, handing him an official envelope.
"Richard Whitaker?" the officer asked. "You are being served with a temporary restraining order, an eviction notice from this property, and a summons from the District Attorney's financial crimes unit."
Dad's face went completely white. "Eviction? This is my house!"
"This house was purchased with stolen funds from my trust," Theodore stated firmly, looking down at him. "The property is now held in an irrevocable trust managed exclusively by Avery. You have two hours to pack your personal clothing and vacate the premises."
Mom looked up from the snow, her face streaked with tears and mascara. She stared at me, then at Theodore sitting calmly in his chair.
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"Avery... please," Mom whimpered, her hands trembling. "We’re your family. We did what we did for Caleb’s future! For our future! You can't do this to us!"
"You left your father to rot with sedatives," I said, looking her dead in the eyes. "And you left me here thinking I was stupid enough to let you get away with it. You made your choice when you boarded that plane to Europe."