Chapter 5 - The War Within the Family
By Monday morning, the fallout from the baby shower had metastasized across the entire Ortiz family network.
I arrived at my corporate operations office at eight-thirty AM, hoping to drown myself in spreadsheets and project timelines. But my personal phone was buzzing constantly.
At ten o’clock, my supervisor gave me permission to take a long morning break. I sat in my car in the parking garage, finally opening the avalanche of emails and messages that had accrued over forty-eight hours.
The biggest news came from my father’s attorney, Arthur Vance.
Arthur had been our family lawyer since my mother passed away. He called me directly at eleven.
“Olivia,” Arthur’s solemn voice echoed through my car speakers. “I am calling to inform you of several legal adjustments your father initiated late last night.”
“What kind of adjustments, Arthur?” I asked, rubbing my temples.
“Richard has officially revoked Madison’s power of attorney,” Arthur stated clearly. “He has also removed her as a co-trustee of the Ortiz Family Estate Trust. Furthermore, he has instructed my firm to initiate a full audit of the accounts he set up for her over the last five years.”
I sat back against my leather seat, stunned. “He cut her off?”
“Not entirely—not yet,” Arthur corrected. “He has frozen her discretionary allowance and demanded the immediate return of the corporate credit card she held through his development firm. He has placed her inheritance into a strict, third-party controlled spendthrift trust that she cannot touch until she reaches forty years of age—and even then, only under strict psychiatric and behavioral conditions.”
A knot tied itself in my stomach. I knew how dependent Madison was on my father’s wealth. Her husband, David, worked as a mid-level marketing manager, but their lavish lifestyle—the seven-hundred-thousand-dollar home, the luxury cars, the country club membership—was almost entirely subsidized by my father’s generosity.
“How is Madison taking it?” I asked.
“She called my office an hour ago screaming that she was going to sue her father for breach of verbal contract,” Arthur said with a weary sigh. “She claims Richard promised her the house deed outright as a baby gift. But without a written agreement, she has no leg to stand on. She is furious, Olivia. She feels cornered.”
“A cornered animal is dangerous, Arthur,” I warned softly.
“Indeed,” Arthur agreed. “Which is why your father has hired a private security team to monitor both his property... and yours. He wanted me to assure you that the guards outside your neighborhood are purely for your protection. You won't even notice they are there.”
When I hung up with Arthur, I felt a strange mixture of relief and looming dread. My father was finally taking action, but I knew my sister. Madison had never been denied anything in her entire life. She didn't know how to handle defeat, and she certainly didn't know how to apologize.
My phone chimed again. A text from an unknown number, though I recognized the tone immediately.
May you like
Unknown: You think you won, don't you? You think pulling that cheap stunt at my party makes you the favorite now? Dad is an old man, Olivia. He’s losing his mind. Enjoy your little victory while it lasts, because David and I are going to make sure everyone knows what kind of vindictive snake you really are.
I didn't reply. I simply took a screenshot, forwarded it directly to Arthur Vance and my father, and blocked the number.
