Chapter 5
At that moment, I pulled a thick plastic folder out of my tote bag. Inside were printed bank transfers, medical bills, insurance receipts, and payment logs spanning the past four years.
“Here are the paid receipts for Beatrice’s cataract surgery, her prescription arthritis treatments, her dental work, her medical lab work, her health coverage, and her monthly stipend, along with documented receipts for two separate personal debts of Lucas’s that Gabriel paid off because Beatrice came weeping to our living room claiming debt collectors were going to seize her belongings.”
Lucas instantly lost all the color in his face.
I did not list those details to humiliate anyone publicly, but simply laid the paperwork neatly across the hood of Gabriel’s car.
“We have never once abandoned Beatrice, but taking proper care of a parent does not mean signing over our real estate deeds to opportunistic relatives.”
The real estate agent stepped forward cautiously, checking her wristwatch.
“We really need to commence the final walkthrough inspection now, as the buyers are legally entitled to receive the keys today.”
Beatrice suddenly marched back toward the front door, planting her feet stubbornly.
“I am not moving an inch!”
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly in exhaustion.
“Mom, please do not do this.”
“No!” she yelled, taking the apartment lease agreement and tearing it directly down the middle. “As long as I am standing right here, nobody is handing over any keys!”
Chloe let out a small, subtle smile, and that tiny smirk confirmed everything I needed to know: she actively wanted to keep the conflict inflamed to force a payout.
The buyers tried their best to remain calm and understanding. The young wife, a woman named Clara, stepped forward gently.
“Ma’am, we completely understand that moving out of a long-term home is emotionally difficult, so we are more than willing to wait while you gather your personal belongings.”
“I do not need your fake pity!” Beatrice snapped back bitterly.
While everyone was arguing out on the lawn, Chloe quietly slipped inside the front door of the house. Nobody noticed her departure until Clara glanced down at her smartphone screen, which was connected to the smart security app from the doorbell system we had left active for the walkthrough.
“Excuse me,” Clara interrupted, holding up her screen, “is that lady inside currently removing items from the house?”
We all crowded around the display. The live camera feed showed Chloe walking through the main foyer, unscrewing a digital keypad from the security panel, and slipping it into her shoulder bag alongside two decorative ceramic vases that had been explicitly included in the sold inventory list.
A minute later, Chloe sauntered back out onto the porch.
Gabriel locked eyes with her immediately.
“Open up your bag, Chloe.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” she scoffed.
“Open your bag right now.”
“You have absolutely no right to search my personal belongings!”
Clara raised her phone to show the live video display.
“We have clear video evidence of you taking items out of the hallway.”
Chloe’s face drained of color as she stammered for an excuse.
“I… I was simply packing away family belongings!”
“Packing them away for whom exactly?” I asked coldly.
“For Mom, of course!”
“Those fixtures and decorative items were explicitly sold with the house contract,” Gabriel pointed out.
Lucas flew into an absolute rage, stepping in front of his wife.
“Stop treating my wife like a common thief!”
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He reached out aggressively to grab Clara’s phone out of her hands to destroy the evidence. The escrow agent quickly stepped between them to shield the homebuyer, and Lucas shoved the agent backward with full force. The worker lost his balance, stumbling hard against the concrete step, and the smartphone he was holding flew from his hand, smashing onto the driveway and shattering the screen into pieces.
A heavy silence fell over the entire driveway.
