“Oh, Ethan. You took grocery money, not my wealth. And the condo—did you already give the buyer the keys?”
“Yes,” he said. “He paid me $300,000 this morning. Why?”
I smiled faintly.
“Because that condo isn’t mine. It belongs to a holding company. The document you tricked me into signing doesn’t give you the right to sell it. You sold something that isn’t yours.”
The color vanished from his face.
“What… are you saying?”
“I’m saying the buyer will discover he was scammed. That you forged authorization. That you exploited someone who was ill. And legally… that’s fraud.”
Vanessa stepped in, irritated.
“What is going on? Why is this woman ruining everything?”
I looked at her calmly.
“Enjoy the party, dear. Because Paris isn’t happening.”
At that moment, the doors opened.
Not servers.
Police.
The music stopped.
Guests began whispering.
An officer walked straight to Ethan.
“Ethan Lawson, you are under arrest for suspected fraud, forgery, and abuse of trust.”
Vanessa screamed.
“That’s ridiculous! We’re respectable people!”
“Respect doesn’t exempt anyone from the law,” the officer replied.
Ethan looked at me, terrified.
“Mom, please… tell them it’s a misunderstanding. Tell them you gave me permission.”