Chapter 3 - The Million-Dollar Bait
The backyard fell into an uneasy, breathless silence. Theresa and Brianna watched my hands suspiciously, expecting me to throw a punch or start smashing their precious patio furniture. Instead, I simply dialed a number on speakerphone, keeping my eyes locked on my mother’s twitching face.
The line rang twice before a crisp, professional voice answered. "Holloway & Vance Estate Law, this is Attorney Marcus Vance speaking."
"Marcus, it's Nathan," I said clearly, ensuring every word echoed across the quiet yard. "I'm back in town."
Theresa’s posture relaxed slightly, her arrogant smirk returning as she assumed I was just calling a standard lawyer to handle a family dispute over property division. "Oh, hiring a fancy lawyer now? With what money, Nathan? Everything is in my name!"
I ignored her, continuing my conversation with the attorney. "Marcus, regarding the industrial negligence and wrongful death settlement from the Calgary metalworks plant explosion that severely injured my shift supervisor last year... did the final paperwork clear?"
On the other other end of the line, Marcus Vance let out a triumphant laugh. "Clear? Nathan, my boy, the corporate arbitration panel finalized the settlement payout this morning. Because of your detailed testimony and your refusal to sign away your liability claims, the corporate board folded completely. The emergency lump-sum settlement has officially hit your primary holding account."
Brianna’s head snapped up, her eyes widening instantly like radar dishes locking onto a signal.
"And what is the exact total of the disbursement after legal fees?" I asked calmly.
"One million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, tax-free," Marcus stated clearly, every single digit hanging in the humid afternoon air like a golden beacon. "It's fully liquid, unencumbered by marital debts, and sitting entirely in your independent portfolio. When do you want to begin transferring it into local real estate investments, Nathan?"
"Hold off on any investments, Marcus," I replied smoothly. "In fact, freeze all active account transfers for the next twenty-four hours. I need to sort out some... family financial restructuring first. I'll be in your office tomorrow morning to sign the final release papers in person."
"Understood. See you tomorrow, Nathan."
Click.
The line went dead.
For three seconds, you could have heard a pin drop in the backyard. Then, the psychological transformation in Theresa and Brianna was so instantaneous and grotesque it felt like watching two vultures descend upon a fresh carcass.
All the hostility, the screaming, and the defensive posturing evaporated in a cloud of blinding greed. Theresa’s mouth dropped open, her eyes dilating as the sheer weight of one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars registered in her warped, transactional brain.
"N-Nathan, darling..." Theresa stammered, her voice shifting from venomous fury to dripping, sickening sweetness in a fraction of a second. She rushed forward, trying to grab my arm, but I violently jerked Lucy out of her reach. "A million dollars? Oh, my sweet boy! We always knew you were destined for greatness! All that hard work in Canada finally paid off!"
Brianna pushed past her mother, her face flushed with excitement as she grabbed my free hand. "Nate! Oh, my god! A million bucks?! We can finally buy that vacation home in Florida! And pay off the rest of the SUV! And—oh, Nate, you have to help me invest in my nail salon franchise, we can expand nationwide!"
I stood entirely still, holding my dying, starving wife against my chest, and watched the two parasites circle me like wolves. The trap was sprung. They had exposed their true nature, confirming that human life meant nothing to them compared to the almighty dollar.
"You're right, Mom," I said, letting a slow, calculated smile spread across my face—a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "A million dollars changes everything. It means we don't have to live like this anymore."
"Exactly!" Theresa beamed, her eyes practically glowing with dollar signs. "And since you’ve been away for four years and don't know how to manage local investments, the smartest thing to do is transfer the funds directly into my primary family trust account, just like you did with your monthly military checks. I’ll make sure it's distributed fairly!"
"Fairly," I repeated, tasting the poison on my tongue. "Of course, Mom. But before we transfer a single dime, we need to do one last family inventory. Tonight, we are going to sit down at the dinner table—all of us—and review every single penny of how my money was spent over the last four years. We’re going to look at the receipts, the medical bills, and the property deeds. And then... we celebrate."
Brianna clapped her hands together, squealing like a teenager on Christmas morning. "Yes! Dinner and celebration! I'll call the caterers right now! We'll break out the best champagne!"
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They were so blinded by the mountain of gold at the end of the tunnel that they completely failed to notice the cold, lethal glint in my eyes. They thought they had won. They thought the million dollars was already in their pockets.
They had no idea they had just walked straight into the execution chamber.
