Chapter 4 - The Return to the TableBethany’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, replaced by a dark, irritated scowl.

“Gloria,” Bethany snapped, folding her arms dismissively. “I told you to wait by the dock until the guests left. You are embarrassing Harvey in front of his board members.”

Harvey stepped forward, his face flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and rising rage. “Mom, seriously! Go inside the guesthouse! We are in the middle of a major business deal!”

“You are not in the middle of a business deal, Harvey,” I replied calmly, setting the mahogany binder firmly onto the center of the head dining table, right between the crystal wine glasses and floral centerpieces. “You are in the middle of a criminal investigation.”

A wave of confused whispers rippled across the twenty-six guests.

The lead investor, a wealthy corporate venture capitalist named Thomas Sterling, frowned and set his champagne glass down. “Harvey, what is she talking about? Who is this woman?”

“She’s... she’s just my mother, Mr. Sterling,” Harvey stammered, sweating through his linen collar. “She’s confused. She’s been struggling mentally since my father died—”

“I am not confused, Harvey,” I interrupted, opening the leather binder to the first certified page stamped with the official seal of the State Land Registry. “And I am not the caretaker.”

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I looked directly at Mr. Sterling and the gathered investors.

“My name is Gloria Hayes,” I announced clearly. “I am the sole owner, sole trustee, and full deed-holder of all two hundred acres of Silver Lake—including the house you are sitting at, the guesthouse Harvey lives in, and the land he just tried to sell you.”