Chapter 3 - The Golden Boy Crumbles
Julian was arrogant, but he wasn't tough. The moment a federal investigator threatened him with twenty years for wire fraud and identity theft, Julian folded like a cheap lawn chair.
I received the update from the prosecutor a week later. Julian had agreed to turn state’s evidence against our parents in exchange for a lighter sentence.
He confessed everything. He told the feds how my father had ordered him to open the dummy bank accounts. He explained how my mother had stolen my mail to intercept the loan documents, practicing my signature at the kitchen table until she perfected it.
Julian had spent my stolen future on a down payment for a BMW, designer clothes, and VIP tables at clubs, pretending he was a successful entrepreneur. When the feds seized his assets, he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
He tried to call me once. I answered, just to hear him beg.
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“Lily, please,” Julian cried through the phone. “They’re taking my car. They’re kicking me out of the apartment. I have nowhere to go.”
“Should have stayed in community college, Julian,” I said, and hung up. I blocked his number permanently.
