Chapter 11 - THE CLAIM
The claimant was Northstar Family Consulting.
Ethan’s company alleged I owed it compensation under a consulting agreement.
The contract contained my signature.
Again.
This time, however, the signature was notarized.
Rebecca stared at the document.
“That’s a problem.”
“You said the other signature could be challenged.”
“It can.”
“Then why is this different?”
“Because someone witnessed this one.”
The notary was legitimate.
The stamp was legitimate.
The journal entry existed.
According to the record, I had appeared personally.
Except I had not.
The date showed I was in São Paulo.
My passport confirmed it.
So who had appeared?
Security footage from the notary office had been routinely deleted after six months.
The signature book remained.
The identification number matched mine.
A copy of my ID was attached.
Someone had impersonated me.
Lauren denied participating.
For the first time, she seemed genuinely frightened.
She told investigators Ethan had mentioned “someone who looks enough like Elena for paperwork.”
That sentence made my skin crawl.
Rebecca pushed hard.
“Name.”
Lauren eventually did.
Valeria Stone.
I had never heard of her.
Marcus found her online.
Thirty-three.
Former promotional model.
Brown hair.
Similar height.
Similar build.
Not identical.
But with glasses, a mask, and a hurried clerk?
Enough.
Her financial records showed a 40,000-peso payment from Northstar.
Then we found photographs.
Valeria had attended one of Chloe’s birthday parties.
She was not a stranger.
She was Chloe’s friend.
I looked at the picture.
Chloe’s arm was around her.
Both smiling.
The fraud extended through the family.
Chloe denied everything.
Then investigators showed her the payment.
She blamed Ethan.
Patricia blamed Chloe.
Ethan blamed Lauren.
Lauren blamed Ethan.
Their alliance began cracking exactly the way greedy alliances always do.
Everyone was loyal until loyalty became expensive.
The equity freeze was lifted after my travel records and fraud evidence were submitted.
But Ethan achieved what he wanted.
Delay.
Disruption.
Fear.
Then he requested expanded access to Sophie.
The evaluator recommended short supervised visits.
I agreed.
I hated it.
But Sophie loved her father.
That was the most painful part.
Children do not stop loving people simply because adults become disappointing.
At the first supervised visit, Ethan brought a stuffed rabbit.
Sophie hugged him.
I watched from another room.
He cried.
For a moment, I wondered whether some part of him truly understood what he had done.
Then he whispered:
“Daddy is trying to bring you home.”
The supervisor immediately interrupted.
“We do not discuss the case.”
Ethan nodded.
Five minutes later:
“Grandma misses you.”
Another interruption.
Then:
“Maybe soon Mommy will stop being angry.”
The visit ended early.
Outside, Ethan confronted Rebecca.
“She’s my daughter.”
Rebecca replied, “Then stop recruiting her into your legal strategy.”
He saw me.
For a second, the mask disappeared.
“You think you’re better than all of us because you earn more.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I think Sophie deserved dinner.”
He had no answer.
A week later, the apartment occupancy deadline expired.
Patricia refused to leave.
So did Chloe.
Ethan no longer stayed there every night, but his belongings remained.
Rebecca initiated formal recovery proceedings.
Patricia went online again.
This time she cried in front of the camera.
“My daughter-in-law is evicting two elderly people from their family home.”
Two elderly people.
Chloe was thirty-one.
Robert had already left.
Comments exploded.
Then Arturo called.
“Elena, you should see something.”
Security footage showed Patricia and Chloe carrying boxes into the elevator at 2:00 a.m.
My artwork.
My silver.
Several files.
One box from Sophie’s room.
They weren’t simply refusing to leave.
They were emptying the apartment.
May you like
And one of the boxes contained something Ethan had spent weeks trying to hide.
My missing tablet.
