“Ethan,” Alan said, walking up to the patio. “What’s going on?”
“We need to review this,” I said, handing him the black flash drive Lena had saved.
Alan pulled a high-end laptop from his briefcase, set it on the marble patio table, and inserted the drive. Victoria made a half-hearted move to stop him, but Samuel quietly moved between her and the table.
The screen lit up, showing a list of recorded video files organized by date. Alan clicked on the file titled BACK PATIO from three days ago.
The video was crystal clear. It showed the backyard on a Tuesday afternoon. The sun was shining, and my mother was sitting quietly at the outdoor table, folding laundry with painstaking care. Victoria walked out of the sliding glass doors, wearing a silk robe. She didn’t just speak to my mother; she degraded her. On the audio recording, Victoria’s voice came through sharp and biting.
“You don’t belong here, Margaret,” Victoria’s recorded voice sneered. “Ethan bought this house for my status, not for a dusty old woman from the countryside. When guests come over, you stay out of sight by the kennel. You eat what you’re given, or you don’t eat at all. If you complain to Ethan, I will make sure he puts you in a nursing home hours away where he will never visit you.”
The video showed my mother flinching, tears welling in her eyes as she nodded meekly, agreeing to every cruel condition just to stay near her son.
Alan closed the laptop with a heavy sigh. He turned his head and looked at Victoria with utter disgust. “This isn’t just emotional cruelty, Ethan. Depending on the financial audit of her personal accounts, this borders on elder abuse and gross misconduct…..”
