Chapter 7 - THE SECOND DEED
I didn’t sleep.
Mom stayed in my old bedroom with the door locked.
Melissa and Linda were told to remain away from her for the night while police investigated the assault.
They packed bags and went to a hotel.
By midnight, the house was quiet.
I sat at the kitchen table with coffee and every document I could find.
At 1:17 a.m., I found the second deed.
This one looked more dangerous than the first.
The forged transfer agreement had supposedly given Derek fifty percent ownership.
The second document transferred his alleged interest to a company.
Westbridge Holdings LLC.
I searched the name online.
The company was registered eight months earlier.
Manager:
Victor Kane.
I didn’t know him.
But I knew the private lender named in the foreclosure paperwork.
Kane Capital.
Same last name.
Derek hadn’t simply taken a loan.
He had tried to build a paper trail that made it appear he had legal authority over the house.
I called an attorney I trusted from years earlier.
His name was Samuel Price.
He answered on the fourth ring.
“Rachel?”
“Sorry.”
“You’re calling at one in the morning. Someone better be dead.”
“Not yet.”
I explained everything.
By the time I finished, he was fully awake.
“Do not sign anything.”
“I won’t.”
“Do not negotiate with the lender.”
“Okay.”
“And tomorrow morning, go directly to the county recorder.”
“Why?”
“Because if any fraudulent deed was actually recorded, we need to move immediately.”
My stomach tightened.
“I thought the first transfer was rejected.”
“So did Derek.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying criminals make mistakes, but sometimes they make several attempts.”
At eight the next morning, I brought Mom with me.
She looked exhausted.
On the drive, she stared out the window.
Finally, she whispered,
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“All of this.”
I pulled over.
I turned toward her.
“Mom, listen to me.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You are not apologizing for what they did to you.”
“I should’ve told you.”
“You were scared.”
“I let them take over.”
“They took advantage of you.”
She shook her head.
“You’ll hate your brother.”
I looked at her.
“I hate what he did.”
“That’s different?”
“Yes.”
I took her hand.
“And loving someone doesn’t mean allowing them to destroy you.”
She cried quietly.
Then she nodded.
At the county office, Samuel met us.
Within twenty minutes, his expression became grim.
“What?”
He turned the monitor toward me.
A deed had been recorded.
Not the original forged one.
A different deed.
Filed five months earlier.
It claimed I had transferred the entire house—not half—to Westbridge Holdings.
My signature was forged again.
And this time, the county had accepted it.
Mom gasped.
I stared at the screen.
“Does that mean they own my house?”
Samuel shook his head.
“A forged deed is void. But proving it and stopping foreclosure can become expensive and messy.”
“When is the foreclosure sale?”
He checked.
Then his face changed.
“What?”
“Rachel…”
“When?”
“Friday.”
My heart stopped.
“Friday?”
“That’s three days.”
Samuel began making calls.
Mom held my arm.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Rachel Miller?”
“Yes.”
A smooth male voice replied,
“My name is Victor Kane.”
I looked at Samuel.
Kane continued.
“I believe we own something you’re currently occupying.”
My jaw tightened.
“You own nothing.”
He laughed.
“Your brother said you’d be emotional.”
“My brother forged my signature.”
A pause.
Then Kane said,
“You should be careful making accusations.”
“Why?”
“Because I have documents.”
“So do I.”
“Good.”
His voice became colder.
“Then bring your documents to my office at four.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because there is one document your brother never showed you.”
My skin prickled.
“What document?”
Kane paused.
May you like
Then said,
“The one your mother actually signed.”
