Chapter 1 - The Blueprint of Betrayal
Mr. Abernathy adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses as he looked over the stack of property deeds spread across my dining room table.
He had been my late husband’s most trusted legal advisor for thirty years.
Now, he was my weapon.
"You understand the gravity of what you are asking me to do, Mrs. Gable?" he asked calmly.
I took a slow sip of my chamomile tea and nodded.
"My son Kenneth wants to cut ties with me, so I am simply helping him complete the process," I replied.
Abernathy pulled a thick manila folder from his leather briefcase and opened it.
"Kenneth's primary residence is completely in your name, purchased entirely with your funds."
"Brenda's luxury SUV is also in your name, and you are the sole guarantor on the loan."
I smiled, remembering how Brenda had cropped me out of the family photos taken in front of that very car.
"I want the house listed for sale by tomorrow morning, and I want the auto payments on the SUV stopped immediately," I instructed.
Abernathy jotted down a quick note with his expensive fountain pen.
"Consider it done, but there is a much larger issue we need to address."
He slid a complex legal document across the polished oak table.
"This is the trust agreement governing the company Kenneth currently runs as CEO."
Kenneth thought he owned the company outright after his father passed away.
He loved parading around the office, acting like a self-made billionaire while treating the loyal employees like garbage.
"What does the trust agreement say?" I asked, leaning forward.
May you like
Abernathy looked up, a predatory gleam in his eye.
"It says your late husband included a secret morality clause, giving you the power to terminate Kenneth's employment and seize his shares instantly if he ever committed an act of elder abandonment."
