Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
That night, after the house went dark and quiet, I picked up my phone and dialed Richard Sterling.
"Richard," I said when he answered on the third ring. "Execute Phase Two. They just handed me the Oakridge brochure."
"Are you sure, Margaret?" Richard asked quietly. "Once we launch this, there is no going back."
"I have never been surer of anything in my life," I replied. "Send the documents to Marcus."
Over the next three weeks, Marcus’s investigation yielded incredible results—far beyond what I had expected.
It turned out that Colin and Jessica weren't just greedy; they were drowning in debt.
Jessica had quietly lost two major corporate clients at her law firm due to negligence, putting her partnership track in serious jeopardy. To maintain their lavish lifestyle—the luxury SUVs, the country club memberships, the private school tuition—Colin had taken out a massive, high-interest personal loan against their house.
Worse yet, Colin’s tech firm was preparing for an audit. In a desperate bid to cover his personal debts, Colin had borrowed $150,000 from his company’s operational reserve account, fully intending to replace it before the end-of-year review in December.
They weren't just sending me to Oakridge Estates to give Lucas a bigger bedroom.
They were sending me to Oakridge because Oakridge offered a monthly "family subsidy grant" for low-income seniors—a grant that Jessica intended to siphon directly into her personal legal account under the guise of managing my financial affairs.
They were planning to declare me legally incompetent to gain control of Arthur’s tiny remaining pension!
My blood ran cold as I read Marcus's financial report in my bedroom.
"They aren't just ungrateful, Richard," I whispered to my attorney over the phone. "They are predators."
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"So, how do you want to handle this, Margaret?" Richard asked.
I took a deep breath. "Jessica loves contracts. She loves big, dramatic legal moments. Let's give her one she will never forget."
