Chapter 4 - The Dominoes Begin to Fall
By eleven o'clock, my home office looked like a war room. Documents were scattered across the desk, legal waivers were signed via digital signature, and Marcus had executed the first wave of administrative strikes.
"First notice has been dispatched to First National Bank," Marcus reported over speakerphone, his keyboard clicking rhythmically in the background. "The automatic mortgage subsidy originating from your corporate account has been permanently halted. Effective midnight, any subsequent mortgage draft will bounce."
I leaned back in my leather chair, spinning a pen between my fingers. "And the car?"
"Toyota Financial Services has received the revocation of co-signer guarantee and notice of primary debtor default," Marcus said with a dry chuckle. "They're going to flag her account immediately. Without your backing, her credit score won't support the lease agreement. They'll likely repossess the RAV4 within forty-eight hours."
"What about her supplemental medical insurance?"
"Cancelled as of 11:59 PM," Marcus confirmed. "The policy was entirely dependent on your direct-debit authorization. Once the clock strikes twelve, she reverts back to basic Medicare, which doesn't cover half of her specialist prescriptions."
I stared at the computer screen, watching the seconds tick away toward midnight. I felt no remorse. For three years, I had poured my hard-earned money into a woman who used her financial dependence as a shield to belittle the very people who kept her afloat. Barbara lived in a glass house, and she had spent the entire evening throwing massive boulders at my child. It was time for the glass to shatter.
"Derek," Marcus said quietly, breaking my concentration. "Are you sure about this? Once you pull the plug, there's no going back. Barbara is going to lose her mind. She's going to call Tom, she's going to call everyone in the family, and she's going to come knocking on your door."
"Let her come," I said softly. "She forgot who built her castle, Marcus. It's time she learned the difference between being wealthy and being kept."
I watched the clock change. 11:59 PM.
Then, 12:00 AM.
Midnight. The three hours were up.
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Almost instantly, my phone buzzed on the desk. An automated email notification flashed across the screen: Transaction Failed: Insufficient Funds / Authorization Revoked for Account Ending in 4892.
The dominoes had begun to fall.
