Chapter 3 - The Phone Call That Shattered the Illusion
The phone rang three times before a smooth, overly confident voice answered on the other end.
“Dad? What’s up? I’m right in the middle of a meeting with regional partners here in Louisville. Can this wait?”
Nathan’s voice sounded crisp, arrogant, and entirely devoid of any awareness. He sounded like a man who believed he was completely untouchable.
Theodore stepped closer to the center of the living room, pressing the speaker button so everyone in the room could hear every single syllable.
"You're in a meeting, Nathan?" Theodore asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "That's strange. Your mother and I just arrived at your house in Lexington. We brought homemade cookies, fresh fruit, and the chocolate cake you love."
On the other end of the line, the background noise—the low murmur of a boardroom—instantly died out. Silence stretched across the airwaves for five agonizing seconds.
“Dad... wait. You’re... you’re in Lexington? At the house?” Nathan stammered, his professional composure instantly evaporating into sheer panic.
"Well, not the house," Theodore corrected coldly. "We’re in the drafty, cramped apartment on the south side of town where your wife and your two children have been freezing for the past nine months while you play high-roller in Louisville with your mistress."
“Dad, let me explain—it’s not what you think—the housing market—the renovations—!”
"Shut your mouth," Theodore bellowed, his voice echoing off the apartment walls so loudly that little Lily jumped in her seat. "You lied to us. You bled your wife dry, you threatened your children with homelessness, and you sat your lying ass in our living room every Sunday pretending to be a family man while living a double life like a common criminal."
“Elise put you up to this, didn't she?!” Nathan shouted back, his voice cracking with desperate rage. “That ungrateful gold-digger! She ruined my life! She dragged me down! If you think you can just march in here and—!”
"You're cut off, Nathan," Margaret suddenly spoke up, stepping forward to take the phone from Theodore’s hand. Her voice was terrifyingly calm, stripped of all maternal warmth. "Every trust fund disbursement, every corporate asset tied to your grandfather’s estate, every single penny of family backing you’ve relied on your entire life—it ends today. We are calling our lawyers within the hour. By tomorrow morning, you won't just be broke; you'll be facing criminal charges for fraud and abandonment."
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“Mom, please! You can’t do that! You don’t understand—!”
Margaret clicked the end call button. The screen went black.
