Chapter 3 - The Falling Dominos
Over the next two weeks, my life turned into a blur of intense college classes during the day and waitressing shifts at a 24-hour diner at night. I slept in my storage unit, showered at the campus gym, and studied under the fluorescent lights of the university library until midnight.
Meanwhile, back in my hometown, the bomb I dropped was detonating.
Because I had copied my father's corporate clients on the email detailing his financial fraud—specifically how he had skimmed from my grandmother's estate, which his firm managed—an emergency audit was triggered.
By Tuesday of the second week, the local newspaper published a small article online: Local Financial Advisor Under Investigation for Multi-Million Dollar Estate Misappropriation.
The drama escalated when Brandon was pulled out of his college fraternity house in handcuffs. The police, acting on the tips I provided regarding his pawn shop transactions, discovered a ring of electronics theft operating within the university. Brandon wasn't just stealing from me; he had been stealing from his wealthy classmates for over a year to fund his online sports betting addiction. Dad had been covering it up by paying off the victims privately, using money stolen from the family firm.
One evening, while I was clearing tables at the diner, a shadow fell over my station. I looked up, expecting a customer, but found my mother standing there.
She looked ten years older. Her designer coat was wrinkled, her hair unwashed, and the expensive diamond ring she usually flaunted was missing from her finger.
"Ava," she gasped, her eyes welling with tears. "Look at you. Working in a place like this. Living in a... a garage? We heard from the police you gave them a storage unit address."
"It's a storage facility, Mom. And it's quiet," I said, wiping down the table with a rag. "What are you doing here?"
"You have to drop the charges," she begged, grabbing my hands. Her palms were sweaty. "The firm fired your father. They are suing him for damages. The bank is foreclosing on the house. And Brandon... Brandon is facing five to seven years in a state penitentiary, Ava! He’s your brother!"
I pulled my hands away slowly. "He is a criminal, Mom. And so is Dad."
"We did it for the family!" she shrieked, causing several customers to look over. She quickly lowered her voice, reverting to that desperate hiss. "Brandon had a sickness. The gambling... we were just trying to protect him until he got on his feet. We were going to pay your trust back. Eventually."
"No, you weren't," I said coldly. "If I had signed that deferral form, you would have let me rot. You would have kept using my name for loans until my credit was ruined forever, all to keep your golden boy out of trouble. You never loved me, Mom. You just loved the convenience of having someone to blame for everything Brandon did wrong."
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"You are a monster," she spat, her grief instantly turning into malice. "A cold, heartless monster. You destroyed this family over a laptop and a camera."
"No," I said, standing up straight and looking down at her. "I saved myself. Now get out of my diner before I call the manager to have you removed for trespassing."
