Chapter 4 - THE NOTICE TO QUIT"You're lying," Derek spat, taking a threatening step forward. "Mom, tell her she's lying! Dad, tell your ungrateful daughter to shut her mouth!"
My father looked like he was about to have a heart attack. He grabbed my mother's arm, his voice trembling. "Helen... Helen, what did you do with the tax papers last year? The ones Naomi helped us sign?"
My mother’s face drained of all color. The haughty, invincible matriarch who had called me a 'parasite' just twelve hours ago suddenly looked like a terrified old woman.
"It... it was just a formality," she stammered, her voice dropping to a panicked whisper. "The lawyer said... Derek needed the credit boost for his new tech startup in Seattle..."
"Your tech startup that went bankrupt six months ago, leaving you with three hundred thousand dollars in federal debt and zero assets?" I finished for her, stepping closer. "Yeah, I read the emails, Derek. I read how you planned to move in here, push me out onto the street, and force Mom and Dad to sign over the remaining equity so you could pay off your Vegas gambling debts."
The children, sensing the sudden hostility, started crying, tugging at Derek’s jacket. "Daddy, I thought we were moving into a big house! Why is that lady yelling?"
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Derek turned red with absolute fury, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. "You little bitch! You ruined everything! You’ve been spying on us!"
"No, Derek," I said smoothly, sliding the manila envelope out and pulling out three official documents stamped with the county seal. "I’ve just been paying attention. And now, as the primary co-signatory and legal administrator of this property's emergency trust, I am officially serving you a Notice to Quit."
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