Chapter 4 - The Grenade of Truth
“You’re right,” Chloe whispered, the quiet deadpan tone cutting cleanly through Julian’s ranting echoes. “You only have one mother. But listen to me very carefully, Julian. Your precious mother hasn’t been investing a single dime for our future. She has been wiring the bulk of your twenty-five grand a month directly to your deadbeat brother in Ohio to build him a sprawling mansion.”
Julian’s face twitched, the color draining from his cheeks. Eleanor let out a sharp, involuntary gasp, her manicured fingers flying to her mouth.
“And this penthouse?” Chloe continued, stepping forward with such quiet authority that Julian instinctively took a step back. “Every single bit of it was bought with the money of the wife you just called a parasite. Starting tomorrow morning, whoever wants to eat in this house pays for it.”
Julian blinked rapidly, his brain entirely short-circuiting as cognitive dissonance tore his worldview apart. “What… what kind of insane garbage are you spewing? I am paying the mortgage on this place! Every month I wire—"
"You wire money to Mom's account, Julian," Chloe interrupted smoothly.
Eleanor’s designer handbag slipped from her fingers, hitting the hardwood floor with a heavy, sickening thud. They were terrified, yet still fiercely clinging to their delusion. They had absolutely no idea who Chloe really was behind the stay-at-home-wife facade—the sole heir to a private equity fortune who had chosen anonymity over flashiness.
And they had had no idea whose name was actually inked onto the deed of this five-million-dollar property.
"Julian, your money hasn't touched a single bill in this house for the last two years," Chloe said, her voice eerily calm against the backdrop of his sputtering anger.
May you like
Walking over to the mahogany console table, she opened the top drawer and pulled out a thick, leather-bound folder. She tossed it onto the dining table. It landed with a heavy smack right next to his spilled ramen.
"Open it."
