Hoofdstuk 3: Het verbreken van het koord
Na het getik van een toetsenbord aan de andere kant van de lijn viel er een zware stilte.
« Primaire effectenbezittingen bevroren conform richtlijn, » galmde Margarets stem door de eetkamer. « Alle gekoppelde dochterrekeningen en geautoriseerde gebruikerstoegang zijn nu opgeschort. Wilt u dat de secundaire actie wordt gestart, mevrouw Bell? »
Ik keek Marcus recht aan, en vervolgens mijn vader. « Ja. Begin er nu mee. »
‘Wat is dit voor spel?’ Roberts stem klonk als een laag, wanhopig gegrom.
“It’s not a game, Dad,” I said as the call ended. “Margaret just deactivated the authorized user cards in all your wallets. The platinum cards, the lines of credit for Marcus’s ‘firm,’ the accounts you used for the country club and the luxury car leases. They are all linked to my primary assets as collateral. Or rather, they were.”
Marcus grabbed his phone as it buzzed with a notification. His face went ashen. “Account access suspended? Tova, what did you do?”
“I removed the foundation,” I said. “For years, you’ve been spending my future to fund your fiction. I was the collateral for your forgeries and your failures. But as of sixty seconds ago, Bell Holdings—my company—is the sole owner of those assets. You are officially cut off.”
Eleanor began to sob, the practiced, delicate tears of a woman who had never known a real consequence. “You’re ruining us! On Christmas!”
“No, Mom,” I stood up, feeling taller than I had in a decade. “You ruined yourselves. I just stopped paying for the privilege of watching it happen.”
I slid a folder across the table toward my Aunt Helen, who had been watching in horrified silence. “Inside, you’ll find the bank statements. You’ll see the phantom renovation permits Robert filed for work that was never done—money that went straight into his gambling portal. You’ll see the forged signatures on the mortgage documents.”
Robert lunged for the folder, but I was faster. I tucked it back into my bag.
“I’m moving to the West Coast in January,” I announced. “I have a new job, a new life, and a bank account that you can no longer touch. I suggest you find a way to pay the mortgage on this house by the first of the month, because my guarantee is gone. The bank will be calling.”
I walked out of the room, the sound of Marcus shouting and Eleanor’s wailing fading behind me. I stepped into the crisp, night air, and for the first time in my life, I could breathe.
But as I reached my car, a hand gripped my shoulder, spinning me around. It was Marcus, his face contorted with a rage I hadn’t seen since we were children.
“You think you’ve won?” he hissed. “You have no idea what I’ll do to you. If I lose my funding, I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re a thief. I’ll ruin your reputation before you even cross the state line.”
