Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2 — The Paper Trail
The lawyer's name was Evelyn Cross.
She didn't reach out to me. I found her.
She was known as a shark in real estate litigation, a woman who didn't care about family dynamics or emotional pleas.
She only cared about paper.
I sat in her glass-walled office overlooking the city, my medical file resting on the mahogany desk between us.
"Constructive trust," Evelyn said, tapping a silver pen against her legal pad.
"That is what we are going to argue, Mr. Hale."
"What does that mean?" I asked, my voice still slightly hoarse.
"It means that even though your father’s name is on the deed, you have acted as the true owner. And we are going to prove it."
I opened my backpack.
I had spent the entire night printing documents.
I didn't sleep. The pain medication barely took the edge off, but the adrenaline fueled me.
I pulled out the first stack of folders and slid them across the desk.
"These are the property tax receipts for the last eight years," I said. "Paid from my personal checking account."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, picking up the top sheet.
I pulled out a second, thicker stack.
"These are the contractor invoices, material receipts, and permits for every renovation done to the house on Elmwood Drive."
"Also paid by me."
I reached into the bag one last time.
My hands were shaking slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer weight of the betrayal.
"These are the medical bills," I whispered.
"The ones I paid when his insurance dropped him. The ones he said were an investment in my future inheritance."
Evelyn stopped tapping her pen.
She looked at the mountain of paper, then up at my bruised face.
"He never put it in writing," I admitted, the shame creeping into my voice. "I was stupid. He was my father. I trusted him."
Evelyn leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk.
"You aren't stupid, Ethan. You were abused."
She pointed to the paperwork.
"This is an immaculate financial trail. He allowed you to improve the property, pay the taxes, and fund his life under the guise of ownership."
"In the eyes of equity, he has been unjustly enriched."
"And then," she added, her eyes narrowing, "there is the matter of the video."
I flinched.
Even now, knowing the video was my shield, the thought of five million people watching my humiliation made my stomach turn.
"The police have already issued a warrant for his arrest for felony assault," Evelyn stated calmly.
"Your father’s assets are frozen. His business partners have publicly severed ties. He is a pariah."
"So, what do we do?" I asked.
"We file a civil suit for the immediate transfer of the deed," she replied, a predatory smile forming on her lips.
"We file for damages related to the assault."
"We freeze the house so he cannot sell it or leverage it."
She handed me a pen.
May you like
"He tried to give your house away as a wedding gift, Ethan."
"Let's give him a subpoena as a thank-you note."
