Chapter 2 - THE AUDACITY OF FAMILY
That night, after Daniel and I painstakingly sanitized every single inch of the nursery, washed the crib sheets three times, and finally laid Lily down to sleep in a safe, clean space, Daniel came into the kitchen. He handed me a warm cup of chamomile tea, his face etched with worry and leftover anger.
"Chloe," Daniel said, sitting across from me at the kitchen table. "You smiled at them today. You told her it was fine. Please tell me you aren't actually going to let them get away with this. They trashed our home. They put a shot glass in our daughter's crib! They stole your credit card!"
I looked into my tea, watching the steam rise. I raised my eyes to meet his, and Daniel flinched slightly at what he saw in them. There were no tears left. Only cold, calculated fury.
"I called the bank while you were putting Lily's crib back together," I said calmly. "I disputed the $4,700 charge as fraudulent theft. I told them my physical card was taken from my wallet without authorization while I was hospitalized. I am filing a formal police report tomorrow morning."
Daniel’s eyes lit up. "Good. What about the party damage?"
"We called the professional deep-cleaning service," I replied. "It’s going to cost $2,200 to restore the hardwood floors, steam-clean the ink out of the carpets, and repair the dining chair. I am going to invoice Vanessa for every single penny."
"And if she refuses to pay?"
I leaned back in my chair, a dark smile touching my lips. "Then she won't have a wedding venue in three weeks."
Daniel let out a low whistle. "The Grand Bellevue."
"Exactly," I said. "Three months ago, when Vanessa wept on my couch because her fiancé, Julian, told her his family wouldn't contribute to the venue, Mom begged me to step in. Mom swore up and down that if I co-signed and covered the final balance as a wedding gift, she and Vanessa would repay me over the next two years. I believed them. I signed the master service agreement with Bellevue as the sole payer."
"Have you paid the final $48,000 balance yet?" Daniel asked.
"No," I smiled. "The final payment is due this coming Friday at 5:00 PM. If the payment isn't cleared by then, the venue automatically cancels the reservation, forfeits the initial deposit, and opens the hall up for emergency weekend bookings. And according to my contract... I can cancel at any time prior to final payment without penalty to my credit."
"Are you going to cancel it?"
"Not yet," I whispered. "If I cancel it now, they have three weeks to figure out a backup plan. They’ll cry to Aunt Sarah, or Julian's parents, or find some cheap barn to host it in. No. I want Vanessa to feel the exact absolute terror and helplessness I felt when I was upstairs in labor, listening to strippers scream in my living room while my mother told me to stop complaining."
The next morning, I drove to the police station while Daniel stayed home with Lily. I sat across from an officer, gave a detailed statement, provided the bank transaction records, and gave them the names of the individuals involved. I explicitly stated that my card had been stolen from my purse inside my private residence. The officer took notes, issued an official case report number, and informed me that a detective would be assigned to follow up.
When I got back into my car, my phone rang. It was my mother.
I picked up, putting the call on speaker.
"Chloe!" Evelyn’s voice boomed through the speakers, laced with anger. "What did you do?!"
"Good morning to you too, Mom," I said cheerfully.
"Don't you 'good morning' me! Vanessa just got a call from her bank! Your credit card company flagged the stripper company charge as stolen! The agency is threatening to sue Vanessa for payment, and they said a fraud investigation has been opened! Tell your bank it was a mistake right now!"
"It wasn't a mistake, Mom," I said coldly. "I didn't authorize that charge. Vanessa stole my card out of my purse while I was in the hospital delivering your granddaughter. That is grand larceny."
"She didn't steal it!" Mom shrieked. "She just borrowed it! She was going to pay you back eventually!"
"With what money, Mom? Vanessa works part-time at a boutique and owes fifteen thousand dollars in credit card debt. She doesn't have four thousand seven hundred dollars."
"You are her sister!" Evelyn yelled, her voice screeching through the car speakers. "How can you be so heartless? You just had a baby! You should be filled with love and joy, not bitter toxicity! You are ruining Vanessa's wedding week over a silly financial misunderstanding!"
"A silly misunderstanding?" I pulled out my phone's camera roll and stared at the photo Daniel had taken of the pink shot glass sitting on the glitter-covered mattress inside Lily's crib. "Mom, they trashed my house. They ruined the nursery rug with tattoo ink. They broke my furniture. They put alcohol glasses where my infant sleeps."
"It was an accident! They were celebrating!" Evelyn snapped. "Listen to me, Chloe. You are going to call the bank, withdraw the claim, and pay that four thousand seven hundred dollars. If you don't, I will personally tell the entire family what a bitter, jealous monster you've turned into since marrying Daniel."
I took a deep breath. The last remaining shred of filial guilt vanished into thin air.
"Mom," I said, my voice dropping to a icy whisper. "Listen to me very carefully. The deep cleaning and repair bill for my house is two thousand two hundred dollars. The credit card fraud charge is four thousand seven hundred dollars. That is six thousand nine hundred dollars total."
"I don't care about your little numbers!"
"You should care," I continued smoothly. "Because the final payment for The Grand Bellevue Estate—all forty-eight thousand dollars of it—is due this Friday at five o'clock. If Vanessa and you do not transfer six thousand nine hundred dollars into my bank account to cover the damages and the stolen money by Thursday at midnight... I will call Bellevue on Friday morning and officially cancel the contract."
There was a dead, suffocating silence on the line.
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"You... you wouldn't," Evelyn stammered, her voice suddenly trembling. "You wouldn't ruin your sister's dream wedding."
"Try me," I said, and hung up the phone.
