Chapter 8 - The Ledger of Greed
Jonathan Sterling opened his leather portfolio, sliding two crisp, identical manila folders across the polished mahogany table toward Derek and Ashley.
"Before we discuss the future of the Williams family," Sterling said, his voice ringing with professional authority, "it is customary to review the past. Inside those folders, you will find a complete, legally verified timeline of every financial transaction, phone record, and text message exchanged between Mrs. Williams and yourselves over the last five years."
Derek frowned, flipping open the folder. The first page displayed a printed transcript of the exact phone call he had made three weeks ago—the one where his mother asked for help paying for her heart medication, and he clicked end call after lecturing her about living within her means.
Beneath it was a detailed audit of every time he had asked his mother for cash, loans, or childcare when he was younger, contrasted sharply with her requests for basic human empathy that he had ignored.
"What is the point of this humiliation?" Ashley snapped, slamming her folder shut, her face flushing crimson with anger and embarrassment. "You brought us to a five-star hotel just to lecture us about an awkward phone call? We were stressed! People get busy!"
"Busy," Sandra repeated the word softly, setting her glass down. "When you needed money for your first house, Ashley, I didn't get busy. When Derek crashed his car and faced a felony charge, I didn't get busy."
"That was different!" Derek shouted, half-rising from his chair. "We were your children!"
"And I was your mother," Sandra replied, her voice dropping into a quiet, devastating register that silenced him instantly. "Yet the moment I asked for thirty dollars for a prescription, you slammed the door. You didn't care if I lived or died. You only cared about your own convenience."
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Sterling cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "Furthermore, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, under the provisions of the irrevocable trust established last month, Mrs. Williams's true financial standing has been finalized."
Ashley leaned forward, her eyes narrowing with sudden, desperate hope. "True financial standing? What does that mean? How much money does she actually have?"
