Chapter 4 - Desperate Measures
By 5:00 PM that afternoon, the news of the police investigation had sent shockwaves through the entire family.
My parents’ house, which had always been the central command post for family gossip and manipulation, had turned into a fortress of panic. My mother, Evelyn, and my father, Richard, drove over to Grandma June’s private estate unannounced, banging on the front iron gates until the security guard called up to the main house.
Grandma June sat in her glass sunroom, sipping tea. "Let them in," she told the guard calmly. "It’s time for the final curtain anyway."
Five minutes later, my mother burst into the sunroom, her hair disheveled, her face blotchy from crying. My father followed behind her, looking defeated and sullen.
"June!" Evelyn shrieked, rushing toward her mother. "You have to stop this! The police pulled Jonathan out of his company’s management meeting in handcuffs! Monica is hysterical at home! They’re talking about felony charges for cyber-fraud against a minor!"
Grandma June didn't even set her teacup down. "Then Jonathan and Monica should have thought about felony charges before they attacked my great-granddaughter."
"She’s just a child!" Evelyn cried out, dropping to her knees by June’s chair. "It was a mistake! Monica was just jealous—she felt you were favoring Vivien over her own children! She didn't mean for it to go this far!"
I stepped out from behind the mahogany bookcase, standing beside Grandma June.
"She hired a professional designer to map a thirteen-year-old girl’s face, Mom," I said, my voice dripping with icy contempt. "She attempted to destroy Vivien’s academic future and frame me for fraud. That wasn't a 'mistake.' That was calculated malice."
Evelyn snapped her head toward me, her eyes flaring with sudden, desperate rage.
"You!" Evelyn spat, pointing a trembling finger at me. "This is all your fault, Lydia! You’ve always acted so superior because Vivien is smart! You manipulated your grandmother into giving Vivien that trust fund! You stole what belonged to the rest of the family!"
"Belonged to you?" Grandma June’s voice cut through the room like a razor blade. She stood up slowly, towering over Evelyn. "Nothing in this estate belongs to you, Evelyn. Not one cent."
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My father finally spoke up, his voice raspy. "June, please... we’re your children. You can't leave us with nothing while giving everything to Lydia’s girl. What will people say?"
"People will say that I rewarded brilliance and integrity, and cut off parasites," June replied ruthlessly. "And speaking of what belongs to whom... Mr. Vance, bring in the accounting files."
