I came home from work to find a lavish dinner on the table, but my 11-year-old daughter was sitting alone in the kitchen eating noodles. “Grandma said we don’t deserve the same as them,” she told me, her voice trembling with fear. I glanced at the receipt, paid with my card, blocked it without a word, and left with her. An hour later, over a hundred phone calls revealed that that dinner was just the beginning of the deception…

PART 5
I called one person.

My attorney.

Her name was Rachel Kim.

She had handled a contract dispute for my company two years earlier.

Sharp.

Calm.

Expensive.

Worth every dollar.

She answered on the fourth ring.

“Charlotte?”

“Sorry.”

“I know it’s late.”

“What happened?”

“I think my husband is trying to borrow six hundred thousand dollars against my house using a forged power of attorney.”

Silence.

Then,

“Send me everything.”

I did.

She called back ten minutes later.

“Do not go home.”

“I’m not.”

“Good.”

“Do not confront Brandon.”

“I haven’t.”

“Good.”

“Do not contact the developer yet.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know exactly how far this has gone before anyone starts destroying records.”

I understood.

Then Rachel asked,

“Are you safe?”

“Yes.”

“Skylar?”

“With me.”

“Good.”

Then her tone changed.

“Charlotte.”

“Yes?”

“This is not a family disagreement.”

“I know.”

“This could be criminal.”

“I know.”

“And the renovation may be fake.”

That stopped me.

“What?”

“The contractor information in the document is vague.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the six hundred thousand dollars may not be intended for your kitchen.”