Chapter 2 - The Mother of All Lies
Vanessa arrived at her property an hour later with her attorney, David Reynolds, walking right beside her.
The front yard was completely blocked by a massive city permit enforcement truck and two police cruisers.
The three contractors were standing on the lawn, furiously packing their tools into a rusted white van.
The foreman glared at Vanessa as she walked up the driveway.
"Your brother-in-law owes us five thousand dollars for the demolition work."
Vanessa looked at the angry man without an ounce of sympathy.
"You destroyed my kitchen without verifying a building permit or checking the property deed."
She gestured toward David, who adjusted his silver briefcase.
"My attorney will be suing your company for the full cost of repairing the damages you caused."
The contractor turned pale, jumped into his van, and immediately drove away.
Vanessa walked through the front door and found her sister crying on the ruined living room couch.
Todd was pacing the floor, arguing loudly with a city inspector about zoning codes.
When Todd saw Vanessa, his face twisted into a mask of pure rage.
"You called the city on us over a simple misunderstanding!"
David stepped in front of Vanessa, holding up a thick folder of legal documents.
"I am representing Ms. Carter, and you have exactly ten minutes to vacate these premises before we file felony forgery charges."
Todd scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in a pathetic display of dominance.
"You can't do that, my mother notarized the lease, making it a binding legal document."
David smiled, showing a cold and predatory expression.
"In the state of Texas, a notary cannot legally notarize a document for a direct family member who benefits from the transaction."
Loretta, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly dropped her coffee mug on the floor in shock.
"It invalidates the lease instantly, making your presence here a criminal trespass," David finished.
Todd's arrogant smirk vanished completely as the reality of the situation set in.
Melissa ran over to Vanessa and grabbed her arm with desperate, trembling hands.
"You can't kick us out, Vanessa, we have nowhere else to go!"
Vanessa pulled her arm away gently but firmly.
"You had your own beautiful house in Frisco, Melissa."
Melissa burst into a fresh wave of hysterical, choking tears.
"We sold it last week and gave all the money to Mom!"
Vanessa froze, her mind struggling to process the bizarre confession.
"Why would you give hundreds of thousands of dollars to our mother?"
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Melissa looked down at her shoes, unable to meet Vanessa's furious gaze.
"Because Mom used your house as collateral for a massive bridge loan to bail Todd's business out of bankruptcy, and the bank is foreclosing on this property tomorrow."
