Chapter 5 - Aunt Betsy Talks
“You laughed at her.”
That was the first thing I said to Betsy.
She looked down.
“I know.”
“You told people she should earn her place.”
“I know.”
“My son was sick.”
Her eyes filled.
“I didn’t know how sick.”
“Does that make it better?”
“No.”
At least she didn’t lie.
Betsy sat on the front porch because Amy didn’t want her inside.
I respected that.
For nearly twenty minutes, she explained what Mom had been telling the family.
According to Teresa, Amy was irresponsible.
Lazy.
Bad with money.
Emotionally unstable after childbirth.
And possibly preparing to leave me.
“She said Amy was secretly moving money.”
Betsy rubbed her hands together.
“She said she needed control of the house before Amy took everything.”
I stared at her.
“And all of you believed her?”
“Teresa is convincing.”
“She’s also cruel.”
Betsy looked toward the window.
“I should have seen it.”
I said nothing.
“She told us you knew about the party.”
“I didn’t.”
“She said you wanted Amy busy because she gets anxious when she sits around.”
My jaw tightened.
“She took my wife’s keys.”
Betsy nodded slowly.
“I saw.”
That hit me.
“You saw?”
“I thought…”
“You thought what?”
“I thought Teresa was stopping her from making a scene.”
I stood up.
Betsy flinched.
“You saw my wife ask to leave with my sick child, and you did nothing?”
Tears rolled down her face.
“I’m sorry.”
I stepped away before I said something I’d regret.
Then Betsy whispered, “That’s why I came.”
I turned around.
“She crossed a line yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?”
Betsy looked toward the street before answering.
“Teresa met with Mason and a man named Victor Lang.”
I knew the name.
Everyone in Nashville construction knew it.
Victor owned a private real-estate investment company.
He bought distressed properties, tore them down, and developed expensive townhomes.
My house sat on nearly an acre in an area where developers had been trying to buy land for years.
Betsy continued.
“They talked about selling this property.”
My pulse jumped.
“For how much?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why would Victor buy a house she doesn’t own?”
“She told him she would own it soon.”
Silence.
Then Betsy said something strange.
“She also told him you’d be broke by the time you figured it out.”
I stared at her.
“Broke?”
“She mentioned your company.”
My blood went cold.
“What about it?”
“She said once she controlled the house, the business would follow.”
That made no legal sense.
Unless they weren’t trying to take the company directly.
Unless they were trying to destroy it first.
I pulled out my phone.
Three missed calls.
All from my business partner, Caleb.
I called immediately.
He answered on the first ring.
“Connor, where are you?”
“Home.”
“We have a problem.”
“What happened?”
“Two clients canceled this morning.”
“Why?”
“They received emails from you yesterday.”
“I didn’t send anything.”
“I know.”
Caleb’s voice dropped.
“The emails said Bradley Structural Consulting is shutting down.”
I looked at Amy through the window.
Then at Betsy.
“How many clients?”
“Right now?”
Caleb exhaled.
“Six.”
My phone vibrated again.
A new email appeared.
From my largest commercial client.
SUBJECT: TERMINATION OF SERVICES.
Someone wasn’t only trying to steal my house.
They were burning down my income before they did it.
May you like
And whoever was doing it had access to far more than my mother should have known.
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