Chapter 2 - The First Domino
The next morning, I woke up feeling more rested than I had in years.
I made myself a fresh pot of coffee and sat on the back porch, watching the hummingbirds dart around my garden.
At exactly 9:00 AM, my phone screen lit up with a notification from the bank.
The auto-payments for Brenda's luxury SUV had been successfully canceled.
Thirty minutes later, the first domino officially fell.
My phone vibrated violently against the glass patio table.
It was Brenda, calling me for the first time in six months.
I let it ring until it went to voicemail, then listened to the frantic audio message.
"Mom, the repo men are in my driveway taking my car!" Brenda screamed into the phone.
"They said the payments haven't been made and the primary owner authorized the seizure!"
She sounded absolutely hysterical, and I took another peaceful sip of my coffee.
At 10:15 AM, the second domino dropped.
Kenneth began calling me from his office line, his name flashing across my screen over and over again.
I finally pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear without saying a word.
"Mom, what is going on?" Kenneth yelled, panic lacing his voice.
"A real estate agent just showed up at my front door with a thirty-day eviction notice and a For Sale sign!"
I kept my voice completely flat and emotionless.
"You wanted to cut ties, Kenneth, so I am cutting the financial ones first."
"You can't do this to me!" he roared.
"I am the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, and I will hire the best lawyers in the city to destroy you!"
I let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"You might want to check your corporate access before you make threats you cannot afford."
May you like
Kenneth went silent on the other end, followed by the frantic clicking of his computer keyboard.
"My corporate accounts are locked," he whispered, sheer terror finally setting in.
