Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
"Five million dollars," I repeated, looking directly into my son’s eyes. "Or roughly three point one million after taxes. Money that has spent the last ten months safely residing in the V-Heritage Private Trust."
"Mom..." Colin stammered, dropping to his knees beside my chair, his face pale, tears springing to his eyes. "Mom! Oh my god, Mom! Why didn't you tell us?! We’re family! We could have bought a huge estate together! We could have taken care of you!"
"You had four years to take care of me, Colin," I said, pulling my hand away from his desperate grip. "And you chose to shove a senior living brochure in my face so your son could have a bigger bedroom."
"Margaret, please!" Jessica stammered, her voice frantic, her legal composure completely shattered. "We were just thinking about your health! Oakridge is a wonderful facility! But if you have this kind of money, we can build you a private guest house right here in the backyard! Anything you want!"
"I don't want your backyard, Jessica," I said calmly. "And speaking of facilities and finances..."
I gestured to Marcus, who tapped his iPad and pushed a document toward Mr. Harrison.
"Mr. Harrison," I said, "as you can see, my investigators discovered that my son Colin recently embezzled $150,000 from his company to cover personal credit debt—debt incurred largely by Jessica’s extravagant spending after losing her major corporate accounts."
Mr. Harrison’s jaw tightened as he scanned the audit trail on the screen. He turned a lethal glare onto Jessica. "Is this true, Jessica?"
Jessica collapsed back into her chair, burying her face in her hands, weeping hysterically.
"I am not going to put my own son in prison," I said softly, looking down at Colin, who was sobbing at my feet. "Through my trust, I have anonymously repaid the $150,000 Colin took from his firm. The audit will find no missing funds."
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Colin looked up, his face full of pathetic hope. "Mom... oh god, thank you! Thank you, Mom!"
"Do not thank me yet, Colin," I said, my voice cutting like broken glass. "That money is not a gift. It is a loan. The V-Heritage Trust now holds the primary mortgage on this house. Effective immediately, I am foreclosing on your loan options. You have thirty days to sell this house, downsize to a modest apartment, and begin paying back the trust at a five percent interest rate."
