Chapter 4 - The House of Cards
"He’s your brother!" Margaret suddenly shrieked, her guilt transforming instantly into a defensive, hysterical rage. "He was in trouble, Julian! He had debts! Dangerous people were coming after him in Miami! What was I supposed to do? Let them break his legs?"
I stood up from the desk, picking up my laptop and holding it in front of her face.
"You stole Emma’s life savings!" I yelled, my composure finally shattering into raw, unadulterated fury. "Emma worked seventy hours a week during tax season for six years to build that account! That money was allocated for our child’s college fund and Emma’s maternity leave! And you handed it to a convicted felon who hasn't worked a honest day in his life!"
"You have plenty of money!" Margaret spat back, her eyes wild. "You’re a partner at a major auditing firm! You make hundreds of thousands a year! Why do you care about a little money when your own blood needed help? Emma didn't need that money! She’s just a farm girl from eastern Tennessee!"
"She is my wife!" I roared, the sound echoing through the massive house. "She is the mother of my child! And you treated her like a slave while you systematically rob us blind!"
I slammed the laptop shut and grabbed the two packed suitcases.
"Where do you think you’re going?" Margaret panicked, rushing forward to grab my arm. Her fingers clawed at my suit jacket. "Julian! You can’t leave me here! I don't have a car! My lease on the Lexus expired last month! How am I supposed to buy food?"
I shoved her hand off my arm with cold disgust.
"The Lexus was leased under my corporate account," I said coldly. "I cancelled the authorization two hours ago. The repo flatbed will be here at eight tomorrow morning to pick it up."
Margaret gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "You... you cancelled my car?"
"I also logged into the Commerce Bank portal five minutes ago," I continued, pulling my phone from my pocket and showing her the screen confirmation. "Your four-thousand-dollar monthly allowance has been revoked. The primary credit cards issued under my name have been frozen. Your emergency medical authorization through my insurance group has been terminated."
"You monster!" Margaret screamed, tears finally spilling down her face—not tears of remorse, but tears of pure, selfish terror. "I am your mother! You can’t leave me destitute! It’s illegal! I’ll sue you for filial support!"
"In the state of Tennessee," I said, stepping past her toward the front door, "filial support laws do not apply to parents who commit aggravated assault and grand larceny against their children. By eight o'clock tomorrow morning, a formal criminal complaint for felony grand theft and elder-facilitated fraud will be filed with the Williamson County District Attorney’s office."
"Julian!" she shrieked, running after me into the foyer. She fell onto her knees on the very same marble floor where Emma had been kneeling hours earlier, her hands reaching out to grab the hem of my trousers. "Julian, please! Carter promised he’d pay it back! He’s opening a restaurant in South Beach! He just needed a little startup capital! Don't do this to your family!"
I looked down at her.
Seeing my mother on her knees, crying and begging, didn't bring me an ounce of pleasure. It only filled me with a deep, hollow pity for the years I had wasted trying to earn the love of a woman who viewed me as nothing more than an open wallet.
May you like
"You said it yourself, Margaret," I whispered, reaching for the brass door handle. "This house belongs to my family. And you are no longer part of it."
I walked out the door, leaving her sobbing hysterically on the marble floor.
