Chapter 5 - The Insurance Payout
The fire chief explained that Steven had recklessly tried to heat the living room after finding the electricity disconnected.
His negligence had caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in structural damage to the property.
I drove up the mountain the next morning to survey the charred remains of the cabin I legally owned.
Steven was standing near the police barricade, looking completely miserable and covered in black soot.
"You did this to me, Kinsley, you humiliated me in front of my investors!" Steven screamed as I approached.
I calmly ignored his childish tantrum and handed him the formal eviction and trespassing notice drafted by my lawyer.
"You burned down my house, Steven, and you will be hearing from my insurance company," I replied coldly.
The insurance adjuster arrived within the hour, completely assessing the extensive fire and water damage.
Because the policy was solely in my name, the insurance company issued a massive settlement check directly to my personal account.
The payout was more than enough to cover the forged loan my mother had taken out and then some.
Word of the massive insurance payout reached my parents within a matter of hours.
My mother called me from a different phone number, using a sickly sweet tone she only used when she wanted money.
"Sweetheart, we are so glad you got the insurance money, your father and I need you to wire it to us to begin rebuilding," she cooed.
"I am selling the land as is, and keeping every single penny of the settlement," I told her firmly.
The line went dead, and I knew she was finally realizing she had lost all control over me.
I returned to my lawyer's office to deposit the check into a secure trust account where they could never reach it.
Mr. Vance looked up from his computer with a deeply troubled expression on his face.
"Kinsley, the forensic accountant just finished reviewing your mother's business accounts related to the forged loan."
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He turned his monitor around, showing a terrifyingly complex web of offshore bank transfers.
"Your mother isn't just stealing from you, she is actively laundering money for a violent criminal syndicate."
