Chapter 13 - THE HOUSE ON THE LIST
Dad shook his head.
“I bought that house before I met George.”
We found the deed in a fireproof box.
His name.
Mom’s name.
No company.
No loan from George.
The sale documents claimed the house had been contributed to a holding company years earlier.
Another copied signature.
Another transaction Dad had never seen.
“He’s been using it as an asset,” Adrian said.
“Possibly as collateral.”
Ruth sat back.
“How many other properties?”
The report listed six.
Three belonged to former HSS employees.
One belonged to the widow of an early investor.
George had built a fortune partly by counting other people’s homes as his own.
We contacted the owners.
Two had already received notices they didn’t understand.
One had been told not to worry.
“George takes care of things,” the widow said.
Dad closed his eyes.
He had used those exact words once.
At the hearing the next morning, George arrived in a dark suit with three attorneys.
Beverly walked beside him.
She looked at Dad and immediately looked away.
Fiona entered separately.
George saw her.
His jaw tightened.
Adrian presented the original trust, Ruth’s denial of resignation, the source of Dad’s copied signature, and the conflicting property documents.
George’s lead attorney called it an internal disagreement.
The judge asked about Ruth’s supposed resignation.
“Where is the original?”
The attorney requested time.
Adrian asked that relevant records be preserved and that no closing proceed until the ownership dispute could be examined.
The judge issued temporary restrictions while further evidence was gathered.
Outside, George intercepted me near the elevators.
“You think this makes you smart?”
“It makes you late.”
He stepped closer.
“You have no idea what your father did to this company.”
Dad appeared behind me.
“Then show them.”
George’s eyes flicked toward him.
For a second, I saw the man underneath the expensive suit.
Angry.
Cornered.
Still looking for the easiest person to hurt.
His phone rang.
He checked the screen and walked away.
Adrian approached us.
“The insurer found the old payment record.”
Dad gripped the railing.
“And?”
“The settlement went into an account controlled by George.”
Before Dad could answer, Ruth called.
May you like
Her voice shook.
“Blake, your father’s house is on fire.”
