Chapter 1 - The Forged Foundation
Vanessa leaned closer to the hotel window and took a slow sip of her bitter coffee.
Through the phone receiver, she could hear the chaotic sounds of heavy boots stomping across her hardwood floors.
Melissa was breathing heavily, her voice cracking as she demanded Vanessa fix the situation immediately.
"The police are threatening to arrest Todd for breaking and entering!"
Vanessa kept her voice perfectly level.
"That is because Todd broke into my house and entered without my permission."
"We have a lease, Vanessa, you know we have a lease!"
Vanessa paused, her eyes narrowing at the traffic below.
"I never signed a lease with you or your husband."
Melissa let out a frantic, high-pitched laugh.
"Mom signed it on your behalf as your property manager."
Vanessa felt a cold spike of adrenaline hit her chest.
Her mother had no legal authority to manage the property, let alone sign away residency rights.
"Put the police officer on the phone right now," Vanessa ordered.
There was a muffled shuffling sound before a deep, authoritative voice came on the line.
"This is Officer Davis of the Plano Police Department."
Vanessa explained clearly and calmly that she was the sole owner of the property and had never authorized any tenants or construction.
The officer sighed heavily into the phone.
"Ma'am, the gentleman here just handed me a notarized lease agreement giving him full rights to alter the property."
Vanessa gripped her coffee cup so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Who notarized it?"
The officer rustled the paper.
"A woman named Loretta Grant."
Loretta was Todd's mother, sitting comfortably on Vanessa's couch just yesterday.
Vanessa closed her eyes, realizing the scope of the betrayal.
"Officer Davis, that document is a forgery, and the notary is the tenant's mother."
The line went quiet for a moment.
"If that is true, this just became a major fraud investigation, but we cannot remove them without a court order since this is now a civil dispute."
Vanessa ended the call and immediately dialed her attorney.
Before the call connected, a notification popped up on her laptop screen from her home security app.
The hidden camera in her home office had just been activated.
She clicked the live feed and watched as Todd aggressively smashed a hammer into the drywall behind her desk.
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He was not renovating the room at all.
He was frantically searching for something hidden inside the walls.
