“Ernest, this is serious,” Robert said, his voice echoing clearly through the receiver. “They’ve crossed a major legal line here. I can initiate a formal freeze on any pending loan applications associated with this property immediately. But you need to secure the physical house. Do they have access to your personal identification?”
“Only what’s in the home office,” I replied, my voice steady. “But that changes today.”
By ten in the morning, the sun was shining brightly through my bedroom window, casting long shadows across the hallway as I finally unlocked my door and walked downstairs. The living room was a disaster area. Paper plates were scattered across the coffee table, and an overturned glass of soda had stained the rug Lucy had chosen for our twentieth anniversary.
Louis was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone with a cup of coffee in hand. Carla was next to him, her face covered in a green moisturizing mask, looking thoroughly annoyed by the morning light.
When Louis saw me, he let out a short, dismissive chuckle. “Look who finally crawled out of the woodwork. Hope you enjoyed your room service last night, Dad. You missed a great party.”
“I saw enough of it,” I said quietly, standing at the edge of the kitchen.
Carla chimed in, not looking up from her screen. “Louis, your card got declined when I tried to order breakfast delivery. Did you forget to put money in the account again? It’s embarrassing.”
Louis frowned, tapping his screen aggressively. “That’s impossible. I just checked the balance yesterday. Dad, did you move money around? I told you not to mess with the digital banking app, you always mess up the synchronization.”
“I didn’t mess up anything, Louis,” I said, my voice echoing in the quiet house. “I closed the accounts. All of them. The credit cards you’ve been using for your fake lifestyle are gone. The emergency fund is locked. And the five-thousand-dollar transfer to your little holding company has been flagged as grand larceny.”
The color drained from Louis’s face instantly. He stood up, dropping his coffee cup onto the side table, splashing liquid onto the wood. “What are you talking about? What holding company?”
“L&C Prestige Holdings,” I said, stepping forward so I was looking him directly in the eyes. “The company you and Carla registered using my home as collateral. The one you forged my signature to secure. I’ve already spoken to the bank’s fraud division and my attorney. The loan application is frozen, and a formal investigation into the forged deed begins tomorrow morning.”
Carla stood up now, her superficial charm completely vanishing. “You can’t do that! That’s our future! We were going to pay you back once the business took off. You’re ruining everything over a stupid joke at dinner!”
“It wasn’t a joke, Carla. It was an exhibition of your entitlement,” I said, turning my gaze back to my son. “For four years, I gave you a place to live because I loved you. I let you sit in my chair, eat my food, and spend my money because I thought you just needed a helping hand. But you brought wolves into my home, and then you tried to throw me to them.”
“Dad, please,” Louis stammered, his bravado crumbling as the reality of his financial ruin set in. “We can talk about this. Don’t do this to your own son….
