Chapter 2 - THE AMBUSH AT DAWN
The next morning, Denver was shrouded in a thick fog. The thermometer read twelve degrees, but inside my truck, the tension was boiling.
Mr. Medina, Patricia, and two private investigators followed in a black SUV behind me. Lucy sat in the passenger seat of my truck, dressed in a simple dark coat, her posture rigid. The baby was safe back at my house under the care of a trusted private nurse and guarded by private security I had hired overnight.
We pulled up to the apartment complex—the property I had purchased with my hard-earned savings to ensure my sister’s daughter would never be homeless.
Outside on the snow-covered curb lay the black trash bags containing Lucy’s life.
Standing by the front entrance was Regina, wrapped in a fur coat, holding a cup of takeout coffee like a queen surveying her estate. Oscar stood beside her, casually looking at his phone.
When my truck pulled into the driveway, Oscar looked up. A smug, victorious smirk flashed across his face. He nudged his mother, who smoothed her coat and adopted a look of arrogant disdain.
I got out first, stepping heavily onto the icy pavement. Lucy followed, walking slowly, leaning on me for support to play the role of the frail, broken victim.
"Raymond," Regina purred, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "I see you brought the poor girl back. I hope you're here to clean up this eyesore on the sidewalk. The building management is already complaining about the clutter."
"Regina," I said, holding back the storm raging inside me. "You have thirty seconds to give my niece the keys to her apartment and walk away before this becomes an absolute nightmare for you."
Oscar stepped forward, placing a hand over his heart in a mock display of pity. "Uncle Ray, please. Don't make this harder than it already is. Lucy is emotionally unstable. She signed the deed transfer voluntarily days ago. She knew she couldn't handle the financial responsibility of motherhood. We're just trying to protect the family."
"I signed papers for my baby’s birth registration!" Lucy cried out, her voice echoing in the freezing air. "You tricked me while I was in active labor!"
"Can you prove that, sweetheart?" Regina sneered, dropping the sweet facade entirely. Her eyes turned cold and predatory. "You signed a notarized document. The property belongs to my holding company now. If you step foot on this property, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing. And as for my grandson? You’ll be seeing him in family court—if you can afford a lawyer."
"Oh, she doesn't need to afford one," a sharp voice called out from behind us.
Mr. Medina stepped out of the black SUV, holding a thick leather folder. Beside him walked two uniformed officers from the Denver Police Department.
Regina’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered. "Officers, thank goodness. These people are harassing us on my private property."
"Actually, ma'am," the lead officer said, pulling out a set of official documents, "we're here on a report of grand larceny, real estate fraud, and unlawful eviction."
Oscar’s face went completely pale. "What? This is a civil matter! She signed the papers!"
"She signed a document forged under medical duress, presented by your brother Julian, who is not a licensed notary in this county," Mr. Medina stated calmly, opening the folder. "And we have a full notary audit log proving the signature was illegally stamped six hours after Lucy was admitted to the ICU."
Regina glared at Mr. Medina, her hands beginning to shake beneath her pristine gloves. "Julian... what did you do?" she muttered under her breath.
"That's not all," I stepped up to Oscar, getting so close he had to lean back against the concrete wall. "Did you really think Patricia wouldn't come forward?"
From the SUV, Patricia stepped out into the light.
Oscar gasped. "Patricia...?"
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"Hello, Oscar," Patricia said, her voice filled with venom. "Remember me? The girl whose life you ruined three years ago? The girl whose land your mother stole using the exact same fraudulent trust scheme?"
Regina’s cup slipped from her fingers, crashing onto the frozen pavement, spilling dark liquid into the pure white snow.
