Chapter 2 - The Prodigal Mother
I stared at the security monitor for a long time, watching my mother shiver in the cold rain.
Two years ago, this woman had stood by while my father called me mentally unstable to our entire extended family.
"Are you going to let her in?" Ethan asked softly, his hand resting reassuringly on my shoulder.
"I have to know what she wants," I replied, ending the video call with Mr. Sterling abruptly.
I walked down the hallway, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
When I opened the front door, my mother practically collapsed into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nora, please, you have to forgive me," she wailed, her designer mascara running down her cheeks in dark streaks.
"Your father is out of control, and Claire has completely manipulated him into this Vanguard deal."
I gently pushed her back, keeping a firm, physical boundary between us.
"You skipped my law school graduation for a wine tour, Mom," I reminded her coldly.
"You told Aunt Susan I had a psychological breakdown just because I refused to apologize to Claire for existing."
She wiped her face with a trembling hand, looking around my modest neighborhood with desperate eyes.
"I was wrong, Nora, I was so wrong about everything," she cried.
"Your father has secretly squandered all of our retirement funds, and if this merger fails, we will be completely homeless."
She reached into her soaked Chanel handbag and pulled out a crumpled copy of the signature page Mr. Sterling had just shown me.
"Just sign it, Nora," she begged, pushing the wet paper toward my chest.
"Sign it, and I promise we will make everything right and finally treat you like a true daughter."
Her words sounded remarkably rehearsed, lacking any genuine maternal warmth.
I looked down at the paper, then back up at her tear-stained, perfectly Botoxed face.
That was when I noticed the tiny, blinking red light barely visible inside the open clasp of her designer handbag.
She was not here to apologize to me.
She was wearing a hidden recording device to capture me saying something incriminating or unstable.
I smiled warmly, completely changing my demeanor to one of gentle compliance.
"Mom, I am so heartbroken to hear that Dad has put you in this terrible position," I said loudly and clearly for the microphone.
"I will gladly review the documents with my legal team tomorrow to ensure you are financially protected."
Her eyes flashed with sudden panic, realizing I had not agreed to sign away my rights immediately.
"But Nora, it has to be today," she urged, stepping closer.
"That is impossible, Mom," I said, stepping back and closing the door halfway.
"Because as of ten minutes ago, I am legally taking over Blackridge Holdings."
I shut the door in her face and locked the deadbolt.
When I turned around, Ethan was holding up his smartphone, his face entirely pale.
"Nora, you need to look at Facebook right now," he said, his voice shaking.
May you like
Claire had just gone live to her fifty thousand followers.
And the title of her video was: "My sister is trying to kill my parents."
