Gregory introduced me as a quiet widow who owned an old commercial building inherited from my husband, and he described me as a woman with simple habits while pretending affection that felt rehearsed.
Then his tone shifted slightly as he turned toward the client and began speaking in a language he believed I could not follow, and he spoke with ease as if I were no longer part of the conversation.
At first it was harmless business talk, but then I heard him say clearly, “The signing will be easy because my mother trusts me completely, and if needed I will tell her it is just paperwork to improve taxes so she will sign without reading anything.”
My chest tightened as though the air had turned cold, yet I remained still with my hands resting calmly on the tablecloth while inside I felt something breaking beyond repair.
The client responded cautiously, but Gregory continued with unsettling confidence, saying, “Once the building is transferred into the company, she will not be able to reverse it, and at her age she will not even understand what she has lost.”