Chapter 4
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus raising his hand.
Then I saw Vanessa smiling behind him.
But the message about my property frightened me even more.
"Your property is already being processed."
What did that mean?
Processed for what?
A loan?
A transfer?
A sale?
I had no idea.
And I hated not knowing.
At seven the next morning, Raymond knocked on my bedroom door.
"Arthur?"
"I'm awake."
He entered carrying coffee.
My younger brother had always been the calm one.
Even as children, he could walk into an argument and somehow make everyone stop shouting.
Now he stood beside my bed, looking worried.
"How's your knee?"
"Sore."
"And your face?"
I touched my cheek.
"Better."
He didn't look convinced.
"You're seeing a doctor."
I sighed.
"Raymond—"
"Don't argue."
I almost smiled.
He sounded like our mother.
After breakfast, he drove me to urgent care.
The doctor examined my cheek and knee.
Fortunately, nothing appeared broken.
But she documented the bruising and recommended follow-up care if symptoms continued.
Raymond waited beside me.
When we left, he looked angry.
"Marcus needs to understand what he did."
I stared out the window.
"He knows."
"Knowing isn't the same as making it right."
I didn't answer.
Because I knew he was right.
At ten, Patricia called.
She'd reviewed the documents Marcus sent.
Her voice was serious.
"Arthur, we need to meet today."
My stomach tightened.
"What did you find?"
"The paperwork appears to involve an attempted loan secured by your home."
I closed my eyes.
"Is it valid?"
"That depends on several things, but your denial of signing is significant. We need to act quickly to notify the lender and protect the property."
I nodded.
"I'll come."
An hour later, Raymond and I sat in Patricia's office.
She placed the documents on her desk.
"Arthur, do you recognize this signature?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did you authorize Vanessa to sign for you?"
"Never."
"Did you give Daniel Price permission to arrange financing against your house?"
"No."
She nodded.
Then she showed me another page.
It contained a copy of my driver's license.
I stared at it.
"Where did they get that?"
Patricia looked concerned.
"Do you remember anyone asking for it?"
I thought carefully.
Then I remembered.
Two weeks earlier, Vanessa had asked to photograph my license.
She said she needed it to register me for a medical appointment.
I'd allowed it.
I felt sick.
"Vanessa."
Patricia nodded.
"We'll document that."
Then she explained the next steps.
We would contact the lender's fraud department.
Notify the county recording office where appropriate.
Preserve the documents.
And make a formal report.
I agreed to everything.
Patricia also suggested checking whether any other applications had been submitted using my information.
I gave permission.
By late afternoon, we'd learned something disturbing.
A financing application had been submitted.
It included my identifying information.
It referenced my home.
And it listed Daniel Price as the broker.
The lender had not released any funds.
That was the first good news I'd heard.
But the application remained under review.
Patricia helped me submit a fraud dispute and request that the matter be frozen while it was investigated.
I felt a little relief.
Then she leaned forward.
"Arthur, there's something else."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"The company requesting financing is connected to Vanessa."
I stared at her.
"Her salon?"
Patricia shook her head.
"Not exactly."
She turned her laptop toward me.
The business name appeared.
Sterling Luxury Ventures LLC.
I had never heard of it.
According to the registration records, Vanessa was listed as a managing member.
And so was Daniel Price.
I frowned.
"Marcus doesn't know about this company?"
Patricia looked at me.
"His name doesn't appear in the records we've reviewed."
My stomach tightened.
Vanessa had told Marcus she needed money for their future.
But she'd created a separate company with another man.
I turned toward Raymond.
He looked furious.
"She was going to use your house to fund her own business."
I shook my head.
"Or something worse."
Patricia nodded.
"We don't know yet. We need more information."
I thought about the message I'd received.
Someone had warned me that my property was being processed.
I showed Patricia.
She studied it.
"Did you respond?"
"No."
"Good. Preserve the message."
I nodded.
Then my phone rang.
Marcus.
I stared at his name.
My chest tightened.
Raymond looked at me.
"You don't have to answer."
I knew that.
But he was still my son.
I answered.
"Hello?"
"Dad?"
His voice sounded terrible.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk?"
I hesitated.
"About what?"
He took a shaky breath.
"I found something in Vanessa's office."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"A second phone."
I stared at Raymond.
Marcus continued.
"It has messages from Daniel Price."
I sat straighter.
"What kind of messages?"
His voice broke.
"Dad, I think Vanessa has been lying to me about more than the loan."
I closed my eyes.
"Marcus, don't destroy anything."
"I won't."
"Call Patricia."
"I already did."
I felt a small surge of relief.
Then Marcus said something that made my heart stop.
"Dad, Daniel isn't just her business partner."
I stared at the wall.
"What do you mean?"
He began crying.
"They've been having an affair."
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Marcus continued.
"I found hotel receipts. Pictures. Messages."
I felt terrible for him.
Despite everything.
Despite the slap.
Despite his failure to trust me.
He was still my son.
And I knew what betrayal felt like.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He sobbed.
"Dad, she was planning to leave me."
I closed my eyes.
Then he said something else.
"She told Daniel that once your house was used to secure the money, she'd disappear."
I felt the room turn cold.
"What?"
"She said I was stupid enough to believe anything."
My throat tightened.
Marcus started crying harder.
"And Dad..."
I waited.
"She wrote that getting you accused was the only way to make sure you couldn't stop them."
I looked toward Patricia.
Then at Raymond.
And I realized Vanessa's false accusation had never been about wanting privacy.
It had been a carefully chosen weapon.
She wanted Marcus to turn against me.
She wanted me removed from the house.
May you like
And she wanted access to everything I'd spent my life building.
The only reason she hadn't succeeded was the camera she'd forgotten to disable.
