Chapter 2 - The Open Sea
I sat frozen at the dining table while the wealthy passengers chatted happily around me.
I was trapped on a luxury cruise ship with absolutely no access to my own money.
My attorney explained in his lengthy email that the injunction was temporary but incredibly dangerous.
Austin had apparently found a notary willing to validate the fraudulent will.
The fake document claimed that Ernest wanted all family assets transferred directly to our son.
It also included a specific clause stating I required full-time psychiatric supervision if I ever tried to sell the property.
I closed my tablet and took a deep breath to stop my hands from shaking.
Chloe must have orchestrated this entire legal nightmare.
She always possessed a ruthless mind for manipulating loopholes and finding corrupt professionals.
I walked to the guest services desk and asked to use their secure satellite phone.
I dialed my neighbor Mary who had always been my most trusted confidant.
Mary answered on the first ring with panic in her voice.
She whispered that Austin and Chloe were currently ransacking my empty house.
They were frantically tearing up the floorboards and smashing the drywall in the master bedroom.
I asked her what they were looking for.
Mary said she did not know, but she had managed to sneak inside before they arrived.
She told me she had retrieved the hidden lockbox I asked her to hold.
I felt a sudden wave of immense relief.
I told her to mail it immediately to my first port of call in Puerto Rico.
I hung up the phone and walked back to my small cabin to formulate a new plan.
I needed to survive on this ship for three days without a single dollar to my name.
Someone knocked aggressively on my cabin door.
I opened it to find the ship's head of security standing in the hallway.
He looked at me with a stern expression and crossed his arms over his chest.
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He informed me that my payment method for the voyage had just been officially declined by the bank.
He said I had exactly one hour to provide alternate payment before they confined me to the brig.
