Chapter 13 - The Mother’s SurrenderWhile my father and sister remained in custody awaiting trial, my mother was living in a small, one-bedroom rented apartment on the outskirts of the city. The Greenwich estate had been seized by federal marshals, along with her jewelry collection, which had been purchased using funds traced directly to the fraudulent loans.
She showed up at the lobby of Aura Logistics on a rainy Thursday afternoon. She didn't have her driver or her designer handbag. She wore a plain raincoat and carried a wet umbrella.
My assistant, a sharp young woman named Sarah, called my private line. “Mrs. Sterling, there is a woman in the lobby claiming to be your mother. Security is waiting for your instruction.”
I paused. “Send her up, Sarah.”
When my mother entered my office, she stopped at the doorway, her eyes wide as she took in the sweeping panoramic view of the city skyline, the modern glass whiteboards covered in complex mathematical formulas, and the sleek executive furniture.
“Claire...” she whispered, her voice trembling. “This... this is your office?”
“It is,” I said, remaining seated behind my desk. “Sit down, Mom.”
She walked over slowly, sitting on the edge of the leather chair as if she were afraid it might be taken away from her. “I... I tried to call you, but your number was changed.”
“I changed it the day after the wedding,” I said calmly. “Why are you here?”
My mother swallowed hard, her manicured nails—now chipped and unpolished—digging into her raincoat. “The landlord is raising the rent on my apartment. I don't have any money left, Claire. The government took everything. They even took my mother’s pearl earrings!”
“Those earrings were bought with embezzled funds three years ago,” I noted evenly.
“I didn't know!” she cried out. “Your father handled the finances! I was just a wife! I didn't know he was doing anything illegal!”
“You knew he was using my work without paying me,” I said softly. “You knew Vanessa took my title. You knew they framed me for insubordination and threw me out of the family. And you helped them cover it up by telling everyone I had a mental breakdown.”
May you like
She looked down at her lap, tears filling her eyes. “What was I supposed to do? He was my husband! He controlled the money!”
“You had a choice, Mom,” I said. “You chose the money. And when the money turned out to be stolen, you lost that too.”
Related Stories
