Chapter 9 - The Ultimatum
The heavy silence in the front yard was suffocating.
The three men in the SUV didn't seem to care that fully armed police officers were standing just yards away.
The man in the passenger seat slowly opened his door and stepped out.
He was a mountain of a man, wearing a suit that barely contained his broad shoulders.
"Sir, get back in your vehicle," the first officer commanded, drawing his weapon.
The massive man simply held up his hands in a mock gesture of surrender and smiled.
"Relax, officer. I'm just here to collect a legally binding debt," he said smoothly.
He pulled a thick folder from his inside jacket pocket and tossed it onto the hood of Jason's truck.
Arthur cautiously stepped forward, picked up the folder, and scanned the documents.
His face grew incredibly grim as he looked back at me.
"Eleanor... Jason signed a predatory hard-money loan," Arthur whispered.
"If it isn't paid in full by today, they have the legal right to foreclose and seize the property immediately."
My legs felt weak, the reality of losing my home crashing down on me.
"How much?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"One hundred and fifty thousand dollars," the large man answered with a grin.
Jason was weeping into the grass, entirely useless.
Melissa was watching the chaos with a sick sense of satisfaction, happy to see us all burn.
I looked at the house, the place where I had raised my family, where my late husband and I had built our lives.
Then, I looked at my terrified grandchildren, clinging to the police officer's leg.
I made my decision in a split second.
"Arthur, draft an emergency transfer of funds from my trust account," I commanded, my voice suddenly steady.
The large man looked at me, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"I will pay the debt in full, right now, via wire transfer," I stated firmly.
"But on one condition."
I walked over to Jason, looking down at my pathetic, broken son.
"You will sign over full, permanent custody of the children to me."
Jason looked up, his eyes bloodshot and wide with shock.
"Mom... you can't..."
"Sign it, or I let them take the house and you go to prison for fraud," I demanded coldly.
Jason hesitated for only a moment before violently nodding his head.
Melissa screamed from the porch, thrashing wildly.
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"No! You can't take my kids! I won't allow it!"
Arthur quickly pulled a blank contract from his briefcase to write out the terms.
