Chapter 19 - Rebuilding the Foundation
Two months later, the federal indictments were finalized. Mallory accepted a plea deal for corporate fraud and falsification of records, receiving two years of probation and community service, while our father’s federal prison sentence was extended by an additional five years for interstate financial fraud and identity theft.
The legal cloud hanging over my property in Apex was finally, permanently dissolved by federal order. The lien was lifted, the fraudulent surety bonds were nullified, and my name remained the sole, unassailable owner of the deed.
On a crisp October Saturday, I stood on my back deck, watching Ryan and his kids—Owen and Sadie—kick a soccer ball across the freshly aerated lawn.
Ryan had managed to secure a stable logistics job in downtown Raleigh, renting a modest two-bedroom townhouse nearby where he could host his kids every weekend without the toxic shadow of our father’s legacy hanging over their heads.
My phone buzzed on the patio table. I picked it up.
It was a text from an Apex real estate broker I had met at a local networking event months ago.
“Hey Camille, got a client looking at executive townhouses near downtown Raleigh. Still thinking about downsizing or are you planting roots?”
I looked out over the yard, watching Owen laugh as he scored a goal past his dad into a pair of plastic trash cans acting as goalposts. Then I walked back inside, ran my hand along the smooth, sturdy wooden banister of my staircase, and smiled.
May you like
I tapped out my reply:
“Not selling. Planting roots.”
