Chapter 5
“With Ernesto Vance?” Hannah asked, raising her voice slightly.
Brenda immediately lost all color in her face. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Then let me refresh your memory,” Hannah said calmly.
Hannah connected her phone to a portable Bluetooth speaker, and Brenda’s recorded voice suddenly echoed through the dining room: “They are going to sleep for several hours… Hannah is going to cry… we will put the old woman in a nursing home… in a couple of months she will stop being a problem.”
Aunt Pauline covered her mouth in absolute horror while Uncle Raymond stood up in rage.
“That recording is completely fake and edited!” Brenda screamed, turning around. “Brandon, say something right now!”
Brandon walked out of the hallway, tears streaming down his face. “It is not edited at all, Brenda.”
“Shut your mouth!” Brenda yelled violently.
“I cannot keep lying anymore,” Brandon sobbed hysterically. “I put my own thumb on those papers too, even though I knew my wife was drugged.”
Little Chloe looked up at her father in terror. “Daddy, did you do something bad to Mommy?”
Brandon broke down completely, falling to his knees. Hannah felt her heart shatter into pieces seeing her innocent daughter caught in such adult cruelty.
“Martha, please take Chloe into the back bedroom,” Hannah requested gently.
Once the child left the room, Florence stood up slowly from her chair and walked toward Brenda.
“Look at me right now, Brenda,” Florence said with absolute authority. “You brought me that drugged tea for weeks, and while it made me sleepy at first, I soon began pouring it secretly into the flowerpot. The day Hannah came home early, I had already overheard Brandon asking about the property deeds, which is why I lay down on the rug to catch you.”
Hannah turned to her grandmother in complete shock. “Did you know they were coming that day?”
“I suspected it,” Florence affirmed firmly. “We needed them to drop their guard so we could gather real proof.”
Brenda stood frozen in terror as Clifford stepped forward and laid several legal documents onto the table.
“We have clear recordings of you discussing the illegal notary stamp, photos of the stolen case, and evidence showing you tried to sell this house for eight million dollars,” Clifford announced sternly. “Furthermore, Vance is an imposter, and the stamp in your bag is completely counterfeit.”
Brenda clutched her handbag tightly to her chest. “That is all a lie!”
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“Hand over the plastic case right now,” Hannah demanded.
“I do not have anything!” Brenda shrieked.
